Demon beasts were terrifying things to hear about, but in reality, they were even more terrifying than they sounded. Depending on their race and innate talents, the weaker ones could be so weak it defied imagination. For example, the mother-of-pearl beast could only cast a single spell, and its physical body was too weak to possess any value for refining essence-blood pills, yet it could nurture seventh-grade spiritual materials like mother-of-pearl pearls.
On the other hand, so demon beasts were incredibly fierce, like the human-faced snake currently charging at Yulou. Its strength was imnse enough to shatter the spiritual defense of Yulou's spiritual belt within two hundred strikes—do not laugh, that was incredibly powerful.
Defensive spiritual treasures were ant to serve Foundation Establishnt cultivators in magical combat, so their defensive power was naturally formidable. Certain special spiritual rhythms would even actively take on the responsibility of defense.
For a human-faced snake to be able to break the spiritual defense of a mid-grade spiritual belt after two hundred full-strength strikes ant it was blindingly strong.
This man-eating human-faced snake demon combined the natural talents and power of a snake demon with the agility of a humanoid demon beast, so it was not surprising that it possessed such strength.
"Get out of the way!" Seeing Yulou standing there foolishly without moving, Zhang Xuewu shouted at the top of his lungs, his eyes nearly splitting from tension.
At the sa ti, he sacrificed his own magic artifact, a mid-grade Three-Pronged Fork. In his heart, he was already cursing.
He cursed Wang Yulou for being a useless waste, cursed the prominent clans of Dripdrop Cave for being shaless, and cursed this cruel world that forced him to struggle endlessly at the bottom, unable to break free from the mire no matter which path he took.
A person like Wang Yulou had a low cultivation base and magical combat skills that were practically non-existent, yet he could directly beco a disciple of Azurewater Palace and even land the lucrative position of Town Guardian Cultivator for the fishing port. This rotten world forced Zhang Xuewu to brown-nose Wang Yulou.
But he had barely started currying favor when Wang Yulou looked about to end up inside a snake's belly. How could he not be anxious?
Seeing the human-faced snake rush straight toward Yulou, who had only recently entered the Qi Refining stage, Cui Dingyi on the opposite side of the river was also scared out of his wits, his face turning instantly pale. Brother, are you disciples from major clans really this useless?
He knew clearly that if a pampered young master of a high clan like Wang Yulou was killed by a demon beast on his very first day in office, the two of them would beco the scapegoats. Regardless of whether they were at fault, those Foundation Establishnt elders would never let them off.
Fully activating his lightness talisman and Thousand-Mile Talisman, Cui Dingyi decided to risk it all!
However, how could Yulou possibly be frightened by a snake that could not even break his defenses?
The only reason he had not moved was purely because he was weighing exactly how much strength and how many treasures he should reveal.
Having studied under the artificing master Hongi, hailing from the Anbei Kingdom Wang Clan, and being an artificer himself, Yulou possessed every type of magic artifact a Qi Refining cultivator could possibly need in a duel—he had even prepared two Wind Swallowing Gourds just for dispersing poisonous mists! You ask why two?
Fellow Daoist, it pays to be prepared! Preparedness prevents disaster!
Therefore, facing this human-faced snake of the middle Small Demon Realm, Yulou was actually extrely, extrely conflicted. If he sacrificed the Jade Blade given to him by the Patriarch, it could even clash briefly with the crimson dharma sword that sat at the very top of the rit Hall's exchange list.
Cutting this human-faced snake would be as simple as slicing a cucumber. Could he use it?
Yes, but it was unnecessary. He ca here to cultivate, not to show off.
If he revealed such a precious treasure and caught the attention of so blind, foolish idiot, what then? There was nothing wrong with playing it safe.
Back in the day, Grandmaster Han had been able to go so far precisely because he excelled in the path of laying low, gradually waiting for his own opportune ti to arrive. Thus, after considering everything, Yulou chose to summon He Laosan first.
"Old Third, get over here quick!"
Magical combat was like a team fight; positioning and kiting were absolutely essential. He Laosan took flight from the ground.
Seeing a snake demon of the Small Demon Realm rushing over, it flapped its wings even faster out of fright. Wang Yulou nimbly leaped onto He Laosan's back and then sacrificed his mid-grade Purple Copper Dharma Sword, which possessed thirteen restrictions.
The flying sword danced agilely in front of the incoming Torrent Technique. Out of the snake demon's three bursts of rushing water, the only one aid accurately was promptly sliced apart.
The Purple Copper Dharma Sword existed specifically to break spells!
"Old Third, don't you dare run! Keep a distance of twenty zhang from that snake demon!"
"Gaa! Gaa!"
"Two essence-blood pills at most!"
"Gaa! Gaa!"
Bargaining in the middle of a battle—He Laosan had truly been spoiled rotten. Yulou barked directly at it.
"If you don't behave, I'll turn you into an essence-blood pill!"
I am not going to indulge your bad habits! Seeing Wang Yulou snap, Old Third did not dare to bargain any further.
It carefully controlled its distance and did exactly as Yulou commanded. Wretched birds were just dramatic; they needed to be put in their place a few tis before they learned to behave!
Over on the other side, Zhang Xuewu and Cui Dingyi finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Yulou mount the spiritual bird and take to the sky. Daoist friend, you almost scared the life out of the two of us just now.
If you die, we won't have much of a life left either.
"Fellow Daoist Yulou, hide to the side quickly! I will handle this snake demon!" Cui Dingyi shouted.
Having arrived late, Cui Dingyi finally reached the battlefield. Yet, he did not activate a magic artifact.
Instead, holding a unique crescent spade, he charged directly toward the human-faced snake. Although this man was only at Qi Refining Level Three, he had cultivated his way up step-by-step from a mortal martial artist.
It could be said to be extrely inspirational. Because he had the foundation of a post-natal martial artist, he actually dared to engage in close-quarters combat with a demon beast.
Flying in the air, Yulou scanned the battlefield and found that the mortals of Riverbend Fishing Village had already begun to evacuate orderly. anwhile, the minor cultivators of the Qi Drawing realm who belonged to the patrol team under the Town Guardian Cultivator were gradually surrounding the area, looking for an opening.
He naturally had no intention of fleeing. As the only Azurewater Palace disciple in Riverbend Fishing Village, Wang Yulou was currently the potential leader of this place—Zhang Xuewu's attitude was the best example.
If he ran away, Zhang Xuewu and Cui Dingyi might still show him respect in the future, but his authority would be gone. Yulou did not care about status for its own sake, but if he wanted to achieve Foundation Establishnt within Dripdrop Cave and go even further, he had to foster his own faction.
Although Riverbend Fishing Village was small, it perfectly matched Yulou's current strength. If managed well, it could beco a small base of operations that belonged to him in the future.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. How could Yulou not put his heart into it?
Seeing that Wang Yulou had taken to the sky and refused to fight fair, the human-faced snake grew frantic and unleashed two more bursts of Torrent Technique, which were easily sliced apart by the Purple Copper Dharma Sword. How could a tiny snake demon understand the spell-breaking might of the Purple Copper Dharma Sword?
The mortals did not understand the differences in a cultivator's cultivation base. They only saw Yulou riding a spiritual crane, engaged in a fierce battle with the snake demon in the sky, and they imdiately began to cheer.
Seeing more and more people gathering around, the snake demon that had slithered onto the shore hissed in rage and opened its mouth to gather its energy again. When Wang Yulou's Purple Copper Dharma Sword struck its body, it failed to even pierce its scales, sliding right off the mucus coating the armor.
Because the distance was too great, he could not control the flying sword to precisely target the snake demon's weak points. Zhang Xuewu's Three-Pronged Fork did manage to strike the snake demon's tail twice, but there was even more mucus on its tail, causing Zhang Xuewu's attacks to slide off completely.
"It wants to use Mist Wave Art to escape! Quick, earth walls! Earth walls!"
Cui Dingyi noticed that the snake demon intended to flee and hurriedly reminded the Qi Drawing realm minor cultivators to block the way with earth wall spells. Yulou frowned.
He recalled the Purple Copper Dharma Sword and sacrificed a wooden magic seal crafted from ninth-grade redwood. As he cast a Fire Shot Spell, the fire oil coating the Redwood Seal instantly ignited.
The blazing seal smashed down toward the human-faced snake demon like a teor. Since the mucus and scales were difficult to deal with, he would use fire to burn away the mucus and use the heavy impact of the seal to inflict internal damage!
However, the snake demon's Mist Wave Art had already activated. With it as the center, a milky-white thick fog rapidly enveloped a radius of several dozen ters.
Furthermore, the earth wall spells of the Qi Drawing realm cultivators were far too weak to hold back the snake demon at all. Zhang Xuewu desperately drove his Three-Pronged Fork, trying to locate the snake demon's tracks within the dense mist.
Wang Yulou's Redwood Seal did manage to strike and burn the snake demon, but it was only a single hit. Seeing that the snake demon was truly about to escape, he gritted his teeth and said,
"Old Third, go to the edge of the white mist!"
He Laosan flew reluctantly toward the white mist. Seeing this, Cui Dingyi hurriedly shouted,
"Fellow Daoist Yulou, do not put yourself in danger! Let it go, we can't keep it here."
Wang Yulou did not answer. He rely pulled out a third magic artifact, a small flying sword made of Cold Refined Iron, which possessed only ten restrictions.
But for a snake demon whose mucus had mostly been burned away, this mid-grade entry-level flying sword was enough to take its life! Cold Refined Iron, enhanced with a sharpness restriction, was guaranteed to pierce through.
"Hiss!"
With a sharp hiss, the human-faced snake suddenly burst out from the white mist. When the cultivators saw that the mucus on half its body had been burned away, they all began to launch heavy attacks.
However, they had not dared to approach the white mist earlier, and now they were too far from the snake demon at the edge of the fog, so they naturally could not bring it down. Still, the deterrence alone was enough.
Forced to repeatedly reposition due to the incoming attacks, the snake demon exposed a fatal flaw during its frantic dodging! Yulou's Cold Steel Flying Sword had originally been refined as practice to be sold.
It was about the length of a forearm and possessed a decent thickness. The innate quality of the Cold Refined Iron combined with its unique restrictions made its offensive power stand out above the rest.
Under Yulou's control, the flying sword shot straight toward the snake demon's chest—he was afraid of missing if he aid for the face, so he chose the chest where a hit was guaranteed. Seeing that the wretched person riding the bird was actually so close, the snake demon completely ignored the incoming flying sword and charged straight for Yulou.
This ti, it learned its lesson from earlier and did not unleash any useless Torrent Techniques—even demon beasts knew that the rushing water was ineffective. It chose to stimulate all of its body's hidden potential to accelerate!
Accelerate! Accelerate!
It only wanted to bite down on that damned bird before it could fly away, and then tear to pieces that weakest, unfair cultivator! However, the charging and accelerating snake demon slamd directly into the small Cold Steel Flying Sword.
Upon impact, the sword effortlessly carved a fist-sized hole through the snake demon's chest. Yet, the terror of demon beasts lay precisely in this.
The hole in its chest did not make the human-faced snake give up; instead, it further incited its primal ferocity. Seeing that the snake demon, whose cultivation base was much higher than its own, was closing in, He Laosan flew backward in a panic.
But its flaw as a crane-type spiritual bird was exposed at this mont—it possessed no advantage when it ca to rapid turning and short-distance acceleration. A single backward maneuver did not distance it from the snake demon; instead, it caused the gap between them to narrow even further.
The turn hindered He Laosan's speed, but the snake demon was constantly accelerating! Yulou's brow furrowed tightly.
A Hundred-Li Freedom Talisman was already pinched in his hand, but he did not activate it imdiately. Instead, he continued to manipulate the Cold Steel Flying Sword to hack at the snake demon.
Another pierce through the chest! The snake demon continued to accelerate.
Sever the left arm! The snake demon wailed in pain.
At first, it watched with its own eyes as it drew closer and closer to that wretched bird, but very quickly, that bird inexplicably grew further and further away. By the ti it realized that it could no longer catch up to the departing bird, it was already too late.
How could a snake on the ground or in the water deal with a bird in the sky? This was a racial suppression.
If it had been a wolf demon or a dog demon chasing the spiritual crane, they might have been able to use their limbs to spring up and reach for the bird in the air. But a snake could not.
A human-faced snake was ultimately a snake; it had no legs and could not leap. Watching Zhang Xuewu and Cui Dingyi strike one after another to finish off the snake demon, which had already been hacked into pieces by his Cold Steel Flying Sword, Yulou did not speak.
He rely waved his hand to recall the three magic artifacts he had deployed to slay the demon.
"Xuewu, Old Cui, comfort the villagers. I shall head back first."
With that, Yulou left on the spiritual crane. Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuewu imdiately lowered his head to accept the command.
Seeing how sycophantic he was, Cui Dingyi could only accept Wang Yulou as his leader as well. Thus, on his very first day in Riverbend Village, Yulou relied on his capabilities to secure the position of leader of this place.
His cultivation base might not be high, but when it ca to confidence during magical combat, he was the greatest here. Possessing the confidence to ensure his own safety naturally allowed him to exert his full strength.
The mortals did not understand any of this. What they saw was that the snake demon had chased out from the mist, trying to bite the new immortal master riding the spiritual crane, looking incredibly fierce.
In the end, the newly arrived immortal master possessed extraordinary strength, hacking the snake demon strike by strike until it had more breath leaving it than entering.
"Thank you, Immortal Master, for eliminating the snake demon!"
"The Immortal Master's grand grace and virtue!"
"May the Immortal Master enjoy immortal blessings forever!"
Looking at Wang Yulou riding away on the crane, Cui Dingyi shook his head. What a ridiculous turn of events.
A disciple from a major clan could casually pull out mid-grade magic artifacts one after another, each with different functions. How could anyone compete with such a person?
However, if one were to ask what Cui Dingyi envied most about Wang Yulou, it was actually that spiritual crane. A spiritual bird at the peak of the Miscellaneous Demon Realm did not sound like much on paper, but taming and nurturing a spiritual bird consud an imnse amount of resources and energy.
To possess such a beautiful spiritual bird ant Wang Yulou already stood at the peak of Qi Refining cultivators. You say Wang Xianzhou's Crimson Sparrow is at the peak of the Small Demon Realm, and Wang Xianzhou is the true peak of Qi Refining cultivators?
Please, Ancestor Xianzhou belonged to the kind of existence whose future potential could rival An Ning, provided he successfully achieved Foundation Establishnt! In secret, Zhang Xuewu and Cui Dingyi rarely shared the sa thought—in the future, they must also buy a spiritual crane!
For no other reason than it was both useful and handso. It was useful because riding a spiritual crane to fight ground-based demon beasts was as easy as beating a fool.
After the fight, one could elegantly hand over the cleanup duties and ride away on the spiritual crane, looking incredibly dashing! Wang Yulou had only been in Riverbend Fishing Village for a single day, but he had already raised the standard for showing off to its highest historical level.
But these people probably could not imagine that at this mont, Yulou was actually thinking about replacing it with a more suitable spiritual bird. He Laosan had too many problems; its personality was too sly, its positioning was inflexible, and aside from looking handso, it was full of flaws.
During the duel just now, this wretched bird had first bargained with him, and then it turned so slowly that it almost forced Yulou to use an Escape Talisman.
What looked to outsiders as 'the newly arrived immortal master calmly slaying the snake demon while riding a spiritual crane' was, in essence, He Laosan turning too slowly and nearly being caught by the snake demon. He Laosan landed in the courtyard and began to clamor for essence-blood pills.
After feeding it three pills, Yulou said,
"Old Third, in terms of talent you are inferior to Old First, and in terms of reliability and steadiness you are inferior to Old Second. Everyone says you have the potential for the Small Demon Realm. But given this personality of yours, when you break through to the Small Demon Realm, will you require even more spiritual pills every ti you help fight?" He Laosan tilted its neck to swallow the essence-blood pills in its beak, and then it looked at Yulou obediently, not daring to utter another word.
It seed it also knew it had issues. Yulou frowned, completely making up his mind.
With He Laosan acting like this, it lacked great nurturing value. Knowing it had problems but refusing to change ant its upper limit would just be delivering letters.
Why could those legendary grand cultivators and Immortal Venerables always get along so well with their spiritual pets? Yulou pondered for a mont and realized the key factor—they had to be raised from youth!
This He Laosan had been raised by Tie Qinhuo and later handed over to the Wang Clan for use, and now it had been given to Yulou by the Patriarch. How could there be any mutual understanding between it and Yulou?
"Senior Wang?"
When the demon beast attacked just now, Qin Churan had been blocked by the formation array and could not go out. Seeing Wang Yulou return now, her suspended heart finally settled down.
She did not know what she was worried about either. Perhaps her worry was similar to Zhang Xuewu's worry?
But Yulou did not care. He rely nodded slightly and asked,
"We were just talking about my purpose for seeking you out. Chu Ran, I need you to explain the situation of Dripdrop Cave to ."
"Explain the situation of Dripdrop Cave?"
Even though these words were not complicated, Qin Churan honestly did not understand. Brother, you are an inner sect disciple whose na is recorded in Azurewater Palace, yet you actually do not know the situation of your own sect?
"Yes, I joined the sect right after entering the Qi Refining stage, so my understanding of the sect is no greater than yours. Go ahead,"
Yulou explained. First understand the background and traits of his colleagues, then get a clear grasp of the situation in Riverbend Fishing Village, and now, Yulou began to explore the relevant information regarding Dripdrop Cave.
This was only the first day, yet Yulou had already begun collecting information and looking for opportunities. Wang Yulou had left the Wang Clan, but the caution and steadiness the Wang Clan had taught him remained forever engraved in the deepest depths of his soul.
Half an hour later.
"Should we perhaps avoid disturbing Fellow Daoist Yulou?"
Standing before Yulou's residence, Zhang Xuewu proposed to Cui Dingyi, sowhat unsure of how to open his mouth. He had delivered Qin Churan to Wang Yulou, but Qin Churan had actually always been the object of Cui Dingyi's affection, though Qin Churan had never agreed.
Yes... Zhang Xuewu did it on purpose.
When Qin Churan was reporting the situation of the two n to Wang Yulou earlier, although her comparisons were relatively subtle, she was actually praising Zhang Xuewu by slighting him, while secretly trampling on Cui Dingyi.
'There is much discord... Senior Cui is a local of Riverbend Fishing Village... and has failed to break through to the middle Qi Condensation for many years.'
It could be said that the two of them had already executed a wave of cooperation, jointly working to win over Wang Yulou.
"Holding the Immortal Venerable Ceremony imdiately after slaying a demon is a sect rule. It cannot be altered, right?"
Cui Dingyi was also in a difficult position. Showing reverence toward the Immortal Venerable was a point that Dripdrop Cave disciples had to guarantee. Even if they felt indifferent in their hearts, they had to achieve perfection in their actions. On the other hand, Dripdrop Cave had a rule that after slaying various sub-demons and monsters, an Immortal Venerable Ceremony had to be held promptly to thank the Immortal Venerable for protection.
"Fine, how about you do the calling?" Zhang Xuewu shrugged and said. "Alright, I know about the assembly. Let us go."
Hailing from the Anbei Kingdom Wang Clan, Wang Yulou had arrived at Riverbend Village for only a single day, but he had fully felt a massive discrepancy. Two fellow disciples whose cultivation bases were higher than his would actually personally stand guard at his door, not daring to even call out to him.
This terrifying disparity made Yulou yearning for cultivation even more. He really wanted to reject that nonsense Immortal Venerable Ceremony. Was this not pure, unadulterated formalism? However, he deeply understood the principle of respecting the rules when one's power was insufficient. The Immortal Alliance exploited ruthlessly, but the Immortal Alliance also restricted Foundation Establishnt cultivators and grand cultivators from acting wantonly. If not for the Immortal Alliance, would that mysterious grand cultivator in Clear Stream Market have backed off so easily?
Now that he had entered Dripdrop Cave, Yulou naturally had to abide by the rules of Dripdrop Cave.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Yulou~"
Zhang Xuewu, oh Zhang Xuewu, you might as well change your na to Zhang Flattery in the future, Cui Dingyi cursed inwardly. "Dingyi greets Fellow Daoist Yulou. Today, that snake demon was fierce. If not for Fellow Daoist stepping in tily and slaying the snake with ease, our Riverbend Village would have suffered a disaster. All the villagers are grateful for your benevolence and are waiting for you at the ceremony grounds. Co, let guide the way for you~"
Cui Dingyi said without a change in expression. Hearing the word 'benevolence,' Yulou's heart subconsciously tightened. Was this the status of a Qi Condensation Ancestor and an Inner Sect Heavenly Talent in Riverbend Village? What rights or virtues did I, Wang Yulou, possess to be distributing benevolence? This was a privilege unique to figures like Patriarch Mangxiang and the Immortal Venerable of Dripdrop Cave! Yulou felt incredibly vigilant in his heart, imdiately labeling this old fellow Cui Dingyi as 'soone to watch out for.' There was no choice; this brother's flattery was far too smooth and substantive. Yulou was afraid he would be misled or manipulated by him in the future. "Very well, lead the way. Chu Ran, you co along too." Wang Yulou nodded to Cui Dingyi, accepting his invitation, and casually instructed Qin Churan.
Looking at the beautiful woman erging from Yulou's residence, Cui Dingyi imdiately bead with smiles and said, "Fellow Daoist Yulou, this way please, this way please. The Immortal Venerable Ceremony is being held at the pier."
Shallow water breeds many turtles. Yulou finally understood the aning behind this phrase. He saw through Qin Churan's tension and Zhang Xuewu's surprise. However, he still did not care. He only wanted to end today's troubleso matters quickly and return early to cultivate the Source Vein Gui Water Qi.
"This? The Immortal Venerable's statue?"
However, when Yulou noticed the Immortal Venerable's statue at the pier, he felt a bit surprised in his heart. The streets and alleys of Riverbend Village enshrined many statues of the Immortal Venerable, but they were all relatively small, featuring only the upper body.
But this newly erected statue at the pier, which stood three n high, also only had an upper body. The Immortal Venerable in Dripdrop Heaven possessed a fish tail. Thinking back to Dripdrop Cave's emphasis on enshrining and respecting the Immortal Venerable, Yulou felt a chill in his heart. Suddenly, Yulou thought of Wu Jinyan again. On what basis did the position of the Immortal Alliance's inspector fall upon a young fellow from a minor clan who had just achieved Foundation Establishnt, without any background or inheritance? rely because he sent a few more spirit stones, he could snatch up such a good position? If this position was not as good as it appeared on the surface, Wu Jinyan's so-called opportunity and luck could be explained. However, True Person Danri had co to Dripdrop Cave to cultivate the Source Vein Gui Water Qi, indicating there should not be a major problem here... right?
Looking at that human-faced snake demon with a snake tail and an upper body that was a human torso covered in scales, Yulou thought of many things. The True Person's Blessed Land-level Grotto-Heaven, Elder Zhuo Chi's words, Wu Jinyan's position, the missing fish tail, and the human-faced snake demon with a snake tail and a human body. All of it aligned perfectly upon closer inspection! Furthermore, a sect with a profound water-attribute inheritance chose to remain and develop under the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. There were too many questions, and he still could not manage them.
Awareness was the root of agony. Seeing the cruelty itself did not help Yulou defeat it. Under the guidance of the ceremony's host, Cui Dingyi, Yulou closed his eyes, allowing the so-called blessed land and grotto-heaven before him to temporarily vanish from his world. Forget it, forget it. I am only here to cultivate.
"...The Immortal Venerable is above, all disciples bow again~" Yulou bowed once more, and this so-called Immortal Venerable Ceremony was finally considered over.
However...
"Azurewater Palace disciple Wang Yulou is rewarded thirty-seven rit points. Splendid Pool Palace disciple Cui Dingyi is rewarded..."
Yulou raised his head, searching all over, but he still could not pinpoint the direction of the voice. It seed like people were speaking from all sides, yet it also felt like soone was speaking right in front of him. That voice was distant yet within arm's reach, sounding incredibly ethereal and completely genderless, carrying a completely emotionless tone. Like the most skilled waiter at the Flavorful Bistro reciting a nu, it rattled off the rit rewards for every cultivator in Riverbend Village, not even missing the rewards for the post-natal martial artists. Even though he had repaid one-tenth of his rit debt and benevolence debt all at once, Yulou did not feel much joy.
"This is?" Yulou looked toward Qin Churan beside him.
Regarding Wang Yulou, Qin Churan could be considered to have so understanding now. This senior hailed from a prominent clan and possessed a steady character. Behind his seemingly absurd actions lay specific reasons. For instance, he had actually never cultivated within Dripdrop Cave yet had directly entered the inner sect. Perhaps because of this, he lacked an understanding of many common facts about Dripdrop Cave.
"The Immortal Venerable's Blessing. When an Immortal Venerable Ceremony is held after slaying a demon, anyone who made a contribution will receive the Immortal Venerable's Blessing."
Yulou fell silent for a mont. He thought of a phrase—Big Brother is watching you.
"Have you never been up to Dripdrop Heaven?" Yulou rose from his seated posture and continued to ask.
"Dripdrop Heaven?" Seeing Qin Churan's bewildered expression, Yulou pointed toward the sky. She froze for a mont, then said, "You are referring to the Immortal Venerable's Manor, right? We all call it the Immortal Venerable's Manor. Only Azurewater Palace disciples and elders can ascend there. Naturally, Chu Ran has never been."
Wang Yulou shook his head and said nothing. He had already discerned so clues regarding Dripdrop Cave's managent model. Releasing demons to refine benevolence while simultaneously tempering disciples. When the tempering was nearly sufficient, they would be arranged to enter Azurewater Palace, thereby obtaining the qualification to enter and exit the Dripdrop Blessed Land to shoulder more responsibilities for Dripdrop Cave. Having joined halfway, he was destined to never ascend to any better position within the Dripdrop Cave system.
Can I achieve Foundation Establishnt here? The confidence in Yulou's heart was no longer quite as sufficient.
...... Returning to his residence, Yulou refined a simple grand array token for Qin Churan, which she could use to enter and exit.
"Here. You may use this token to enter and exit daily in the future, but when I am away, this token will beco invalid." Taking the token crafted from mirror-silver, Qin Churan felt sowhat thrilled. She might truly be changing her destiny now.
"Giving you the token is so you can handle tasks for , stop smiling foolishly. I have five matters that need you to implent for . Keep them in mind. First, one spirit fish per day. This is required for my cultivation. Second, find a better location for along the banks of Riverbend Village. I want to relocate this residence over there; this spot is still a bit too isolated. Third, at the site of the new residence, find people to construct a high platform as a foundation for , preferably built of stone, so I can clearly see the situation of Riverbend Village from the platform in a tily manner. Fourth, the river of Riverbend Village... what is the na of this river?"
Wang Yulou had already beco the leader, yet he did not even know the na of the core river within his territory. It could only be said that Yulou's rise was too rapid. Within a single day, Yulou had accomplished far too many things. Taking office—entering Dripdrop Cave, entering Azurewater Palace, entering Riverbend Village as the Town Guardian Cultivator. Hosting a treat—utilizing Zhang Xuewu's banquet to treat everyone with the rare eighth-grade Crystal Glow Wine. Subjugating subordinates—first taking in Qin Churan, which implicitly corresponded to Zhang Xuewu, the one with the highest cultivation base among the three guardian cultivators—while the other remained to be claid (the kind of situational flattery from Cui Dingyi was just nonsense; one had to look at actions). Decapitation—slaying the head of a human-faced snake of the middle Small Demon Realm. Riding a spiritual crane and manipulating flying swords, he had brought it down safely, securing the position of leader along the way. It was too fast, filled with the unique pragmatism of the Wang Clan. When one's strength was sufficient, one had to step up when necessary. It was also because it was too fast that Yulou did not even know what the river in Riverbend Village was called. Hearing Yulou's question, Qin Churan replied between tears and laughter, "Great Crimson Stream. This river is nad the Great Crimson Stream."
"Crimson Stream? And Great Crimson at that? It looks quite clear to ?"
"The upper reaches of this river contain an eighth-grade Vermilion Blood Stone Mine that is mined once a year. Around the mining season, the Great Crimson Stream turns red."
An eighth-grade Vermilion Blood Stone Mine? As expected of a blessed land left behind by a Golden Core True Person. It truly was extraordinary, with spiritual items everywhere. "Very well. The fourth matter is related to the Great Crimson Stream. I wish to construct a water sluice gate at the mouth where the Great Crimson Stream enters the lake. Normally, this sluice gate will remain open. If any demon beasts enter along the river channel from the lake to cause trouble, we will close the sluice gate, rendering them unable to escape. Fifth, compile a statistical record of the twenty-odd Qi Drawing realm cultivators in Riverbend Fishing Village regarding their spirit root types, cultivation bases, the spells they excel in, and so forth. Once the compilation is complete, report to . I intend to have them conduct so cooperative training for eliminating demons. When fighting the human-faced snake today, their cooperation was far too poor. They were completely just watching the spectacle, failing to play much of a role!"
Having just beco the leader, Yulou intended to initiate a wave of reform. Among the first few demands, so were prepared for cultivation, while others were a deliberate posture to grant his subordinates an opportunity to demonstrate loyalty. The latter two demands stemd from a purely task-oriented mindset. In Yulou's view, the sluice gate could block the demon beasts' retreat, allowing them to better obtain rit points. Cooperative training was akin to drills. After doing it a few tis, when demon beasts caused trouble again, Riverbend Fishing Village could respond more calmly. "Chu Ran has noted it down, it is just..." Seeing Qin Churan hesitating, Yulou said impatiently, "Speak!"
"The first three are easy to handle, and the last one is also no problem, but Chu Ran has so doubts regarding the matter of the sluice gate. Blocking the lake entrance with a sluice gate might not necessarily stop powerful demon beasts, but it will certainly cause the river water to accumulate, flooding both banks."
Yulou gained a new understanding of the mathematical capabilities of the people in this world. He said helplessly, "You are mistaken. Go do the work; first perform the tasks as I commanded!"
That a sluice gate might not necessarily stop a demon beast was sothing he naturally knew. But a task-oriented mindset did not operate that way. First construct the sluice gate, and then slowly look for space to optimize it—this was the correct approach. Even if it ultimately proved of little use, this kind of exploratory experience would serve as Wang Yulou's 'political achievent' as a Town Guardian Cultivator. To navigate within a sect, one needed an active mindset of managing upward. Of course, of course, the most important thing remained cultivation.
Yulou had left ho to join Dripdrop Cave precisely to cultivate the Source Vein Gui Water Qi. Now that the manual had been obtained, and the troubleso matters and unexpected events had all been resolved, he could finally settle his mind to cultivate peacefully within his residence. True Person Danri's initial indication that Yulou should cultivate the Source Vein Gui Water Qi actually carried significant reasoning. Yulou was born in the Month of the Rabbit, and the Rabbit Month belonged to Yin, so he ought to cultivate a thod of Taiyin. The source streams of water thods were divided into two major categories: Ren Water and Gui Water. Among them, the latter was the water of extre Yin, which perfectly aligned with Yulou.
Furthermore, because the required thods and essentials for modern cultivation differed from ancient tis, contemporary cultivators did not pay much attention to these aspects. For instance, when a Foundation Establishnt cultivator opened the Purple Palace, they only needed to gather five strands of Dao foundation before they could begin rushing through. When a Qi Refining cultivator cultivated the spiritual energy corresponding to their spirit root, they also did not demand any thods of Taiyin or Taiyang. Those three renowned five-qi variants were pri examples. The Five-Colored Purple Haze Qi cultivated purple haze qi, rely adding so special properties to the purple haze qi based on the variance of the spirit root attributes.
But having received such guidance from Danri, Yulou knew he ought to cultivate the Source Vein Gui Water Qi, so he naturally would not cultivate other types of spiritual energy. However, after finishing reading the jade slip of the cultivation thod, Yulou felt a bit uneasy in his heart. In the Source Vein Gui Water Qi, Gui water was the core. Gui water represented the ultimate Yin and the absolute weakest, yet the thod of the Source Vein Gui Water Qi involved running this weak water through all the ridians. How should one put it... it was still a very bold concept. Because the aning of 'source vein circulation' was not just moving through the ridians for a cycle, but rather adding width to the ridians, conducting a minor engineering project. It was very daring, and also very reasonable. If one used other types of spiritual energy to rampage through the ridians, a cultivator might just explode and die directly. Using Gui water—using the weakest water—was just right. Being weak was precisely what made it good; it would not cause major disasters. At this mont, pulling out that bottle of Spirit Marrow ridian Cleansing Pills from his storage bag, Yulou felt an indescribable complexity in his heart.
This bottle of pills had been exchanged using his Bulk Goods Exchange. After he bit off his tongue, the Patriarch had fed him one pill to treat him tily, leaving nine remaining. Now, this bottle in his hand contained five pills, which the Patriarch had left for him. Looking at it now, the Patriarch had long calculated up to this day, even calculating into the future. When he cultivated the Source Vein Gui Water Qi, there would definitely be tis when he failed to control the spiritual energy, damaging his ridians. At those monts, the Spirit Marrow ridian Cleansing Pills could co in handy. However... Yulou picked up the jade slip for the Source Vein Gui Water Qi again, reading it ticulously.
Dripdrop Cave was considered quite conscientious, attaching injury-healing pill formulas alongside the purchase of the thod. The jade slip recorded two types of spiritual pill formulas for repairing ridians. This was equivalent to Yulou spending four hundred rit points to not only purchase the manual for the Source Vein Gui Water Qi but also obtain multiple Gui water spiritual energy spells and two spiritual pill formulas for repairing ridians. At this mont, Yulou even felt that the Dripdrop Immortal Venerable's benevolence was not quite so burning to the touch anymore. Yes, the Immortal Venerable is good; it might just be that the disciples executed it poorly. From the Source Vein Gui Water Qi thod, one could actually discern the extraordinary nature of Dripdrop Cave's inheritance. This kind of rigorously structured system, complete with matching thods and even accompanying pill formulas, could actually be casually exchanged by inner sect disciples. A sect, if joined correctly, indeed possessed a high upper limit!
After reviewing the mnemonic ticulously once more, Yulou pulled out an incense burner from his storage bag, placing it before the futon in the residence's quiet room. First was a stick of Five-Flavor Purple Ginseng Incense to nourish his divine sense. Later, he would need to use his divine sense for internal inspection, ticulously observing the ridian-shaping process of the Gui water spiritual energy. With the Five-Flavor Purple Ginseng Incense present, though its effect was far inferior to spiritual pills that enhanced divine sense, it was at least a boon. Following that was a stick of Thousand-Bent Tiger-Ear Incense. The tiger-ear here did not refer to a tiger's ear, but rather a dicinal herb that could calm the mind. The effect of this incense was to calm the mind and focus the spirit, raising concentration during cultivation states. Having left Ancestor Xianzhou, the level of Yulou's cultivation benefits had plumted in a straight line. When cultivating in the small grotto-heaven, he used to ingest pills daily to maintain an optimal state. Those pills had all been customized by Ancestor Xianzhou based on his spirit root, yielding excellent effects. Now, looking at those two sticks of incense, Yulou sighed softly. Better left unntioned, better left unntioned.
However, two sticks of incense were ultimately sowhat unlucky. Yulou thought for a mont and dug out a stick of Nightshade White-Thatch Incense. This incense possessed no special function, it simply slled a bit better. Looking at the three sticks of incense in the burner, Yulou thought again: since the incense was already in place, why not invite a great deity to bless and protect himself? Anyway, this incense would go to waste if unused. Using it to cultivate while simultaneously offering so loyalty to that Immortal Venerable—who might not have gone cold yet and was likely watching him at every mont—would ensure neither task was neglected. To think was to act; Yulou belonged to the proactive, action-oriented type of cultivator.
Pulling out a large block of ninth-grade white elm wood, he manipulated the Cold Steel Flying Sword to fly up and down. Before long, a statue of the Dripdrop Immortal Venerable was nearly carved to completion. He then pulled over a table, holding the statue with both hands, and respectfully invited it onto the surface. Finally, Yulou ignited the three sticks of cultivation-assisting incense—no, that was incorrect, they were three sticks of incense to revere the Immortal Venerable! Everything was set. Looking at the small statue that was practically identical to the golden Immortal Venerable statue in the main hall of Dripdrop Heaven, Yulou nodded in satisfaction. This sort of matter belonged to getting it done once and using it long-term. You ask if bowing to the Immortal Venerable was useful? Hard to say. But after all, bowing to the dead was done for the living to see. Cultivating under the gate of Dripdrop Cave ant Yulou naturally had to act according to the rules of Dripdrop Cave. The Immortal Venerable's three Purple Palace disciples had never forgotten the Immortal Venerable's benevolence for a single mont after taking over the inherited grotto-heaven blessed land he left behind.
Yulou spent four hundred rit points—no, three hundred rit points—no, in truth, he had not spent a single rit point to exchange for Dripdrop Cave's secret inheritance of the Source Vein Gui Water Qi. Shouldn't he show so gratitude toward the Immortal Venerable? Offering a respectful bow, Yulou, who sat cross-legged upon the futon once more, inexplicably felt much more confidence toward cultivating the Source Vein Gui Water Qi. Immortal Venerable, you see, your disciple has offered three sticks of incense, right? Grant so face! Sitting cross-legged upon the futon, Yulou silently recited the mnemonic, and his divine sense also began its internal inspection. Driven by the mnemonic, the spiritual energy within his body crept lazily out of his sea of qi. Gui water was the ultimate Yin and the absolute weakest; weak water was naturally like this. Of course, this was rely the spiritual energy transformation stage at the start of cultivating Gui water qi, which naturally required a slow process, hence why the spiritual energy appeared so lazy. As for instant refinent or the like, Yulou lacked such grand courage. He was afraid his ridians would be blown to pieces by the refinent. The Spirit Marrow ridian Cleansing Pills were very useful, but one should save where appropriate and spend where necessary. There was no need to rush the transformation of spiritual energy. Once this transformation was complete, everything thereafter would be Gui water qi.
Roughly half an hour later, the spiritual energy within his body completed a full cycle according to the ridian pathways of the Gui water qi, completely converting into Gui water spiritual energy. Yulou looked at the small pool of spiritual energy within his sea of qi, estimating that roughly ninety percent had been transford. This indicated that the spiritual pills Wang Xianzhou had refined for him back then were indeed extraordinary. However, it was actually not surprising. During their cultivation in the small grotto-heaven, Wang Xianzhou rarely refined spiritual pills that directly elevated cultivation bases for the three of them; he mostly refined auxiliary types of spiritual pills. The final cultivation was still achieved by themselves, and thus, the refined spiritual energy would naturally be more condensed rather than hollow and powerless. Thermal power and hydropower were both electricity, but different types of spiritual energy varied vastly. To possess a ninety-percent transformation rate was already extrely, extrely high.
With Gui water spiritual energy, Yulou could begin cultivating the true core portion of the Source Vein Gui Water Qi—ridian shaping. Any type of spiritual energy could elevate a cultivation base, but different spiritual energies yielded different effects. Given the characteristics of the Source Vein Gui Water Qi, Danri's implication that Yulou should cultivate this inevitably ant that Yulou needed to perform ridian shaping using Gui water spiritual energy. Of course, grand cultivators were too lazy to explain things in excessive detail; Danri had not spoken much of the finer points. Yulou silently drove the mnemonic, channeling a strand of spiritual energy, preparing to guide it out of the sea of qi. ridian shaping possessed a specialized mnemonic; it was not rely controlling the spiritual energy to circulate through the ridians. Under the activation of the mnemonic, Yulou's divine sense noticed that the Gui water qi began to vibrate slowly, just like rising and falling water waves.
'If it uses left-and-right vibrations to continuously widen the ridians, then it looks like it shouldn't be too painful.'
The reason Yulou thought of pain was because the jade slip for the Source Vein Gui Water Qi had explicitly stated that it did not recomnd cultivators who practiced this thod to undergo ridian shaping. If one perford ridian shaping, it would hurt. Finally, under Yulou's cautious control, that strand of Gui water spiritual energy finally advanced into the ridians—
"FUCK!"
The instant the Gui water qi acted upon the ridians, Yulou's focus shattered entirely. Drenched in cold sweat, he collapsed onto the ground, cursing furiously, "Which wretched bastard said cultivation feels great? It's all absolute nonsense!"
In his agony, Yulou failed to notice that behind the incense burner, the statue of the Dripdrop Immortal Venerable revealed a smile. At the very least, one sentence was not nonsense. In Dripdrop Cave Heaven, the Immortal Venerable truly is watching you.
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