The Red Coffin Lady said, "In our Jing Country, the price of secrecy is truly too high."
Hmm,
Zhou Xuan remained silent. His Wash Away Injustice Talisman continued to increase in value,
the Ancient Buddha’s relics, the ability to seek out the talismanic script of heaven and earth, entering the temporal fissures—any one of these would be enough to exhilarate those of high incense fire levels in Jing Country.
"Therefore, no matter when, this item must not fall into others’ hands, not even the Green Robed Buddha above the Heavenly Do."
Lord Jian said, "If anyone dares to seize it, I will descend through the Zhou Family Ancestor Tree to stand before you. I won’t claim for others, but Zhou Lingyi, Lord Jiu, and I are your unwavering support."
"May I ask Lord Jiu’s incense fire level?" Zhou Xuan inquired.
"Seven, aspiring for eight."
"And my sister?"
The thing Zhou Xuan was most curious about was his sister’s incense fire level.
"Hasn’t she told you?"
"No."
"Six sticks of incense, faintly nearing seven... but her incense fire is different from ours; it can’t be asured in the usual way."
"Why?" Zhou Xuan asked.
"Her incense fire is cultivated in reverse," Lord Jian said.
For a mont, Zhou Xuan recalled sothing his sister had once said—Nuo God is a reversed Heavenly God.
Could her reversed cultivation of incense fire be connected to her being a descendant of the Nuo God?
"The descendants of the Zhou Family cultivate incense fire in very peculiar ways. If chosen by the Nuo God, they cultivate Nuo and must traverse nine tangkou,
but if not chosen by the Nuo God and they step into other tangkou, they must cultivate incense fire in reverse."
Lord Jian found it rather strange—he, soone from the Divine Arrow Hall, was explaining to the Zhou Family’s descendants how their own lineage cultivated.
But strange or not, Zhou Xuan’s fiery gaze showed clear interest, and Lord Jian didn’t want to ruin the mood, so he continued, "Reversed cultivation of incense fire is a special privilege of the Zhou Family’s descendants, but it cos with advantages too."
"What advantages?" Zhou Xuan pressed.
"There are two. First, in Jing Country’s Incense Fire Divine Dao, the higher the level, the greater the skills. Take our Divine Arrow Hall for example:
in our lifeti, we sharpen the might of our arrows. With one stick of incense level, we’re rely ordinary people proficient in archery, but as our incense fire level rises, we reach where I am now—one arrow can summon the forces of earth and mountains,
thus, a descendant of the Nuo God who cultivates incense fire in reverse can directly unleash the most powerful technique of that tangkou.
As for the second advantage,
because incense fire is cultivated in reverse, the higher levels of incense, which are typically the most difficult to ascend in a regular tangkou, beco the easiest to achieve. These higher levels, due to their relative ease, can sotis even be skipped altogether in extre circumstances,
such as Zhou Lingyi. Don’t be fooled by her having only six sticks of incense; the mont she faces a formidable enemy and imrses herself in intense emotions, she can unleash the Nuo God’s power within her, rapidly ascending incense fire levels to reach seven, even eight sticks."
At this point, Lord Jian added, "The Zhou Family’s descendants, whether cultivating incense fire in reverse or traversing the nine tangkou, face extre hardship in their practice. So while the benefits of cultivation are many, in truth, it’s nearly impossible to produce individuals of high incense fire levels.
But in your generation, it’s truly a marvel. Your sister possesses extraordinary talent; at such a young age, she’s already at six sticks of incense and is faintly nearing the seventh.
Yourself, taking on the Nuo God’s tangkou, beginning with the Storyteller as your first tangkou followed by the Tattoo Master as your second—both among the most challenging tangkou to cultivate—and now you’re on the verge of stepping into the third tangkou.
You two siblings... are anomalies."
Lord Jian was greatly perplexed. For generations, the Zhou lineage had only claid the reputation of being Nuo God’s descendants without any actual proof of greatness.
But this generation of Zhou siblings was destined to make a monuntal na for themselves in the vast realm of gods and ghosts within Jing Country.
"And the Young Master isn’t just quick at cultivating incense fire; he also possesses a Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart and has done a great deal for Mingjiang Prefecture."
"Eh... even stranger,"
Lord Jian even began to suspect that the Zhou Family’s lack of talent in previous generations might have been because they were accumulating luck for a grand breakout in this generation.
The three of them chatted as they walked along, and the temporal passage was nearing its end.
As the distance diminished, Lord Jian suddenly wore an expression of hesitation, which Zhou Xuan noticed. He asked, "Lord Jian, you seem like you have sothing to say?"
"Uh... I do, but it’s a bit hard to put into words."
At that mont, Lord Jian even appeared shy, a stark contrast to his earlier domineering deanor.
"Go ahead and say it. You’ve answered so many of my questions on the way; let see if I can help you resolve your doubts as well,"
Zhou Xuan said generously.
After remaining silent for another two or three minutes, Lord Jian finally spoke. "As you might have noticed, I’m soone who enjoys creating a sense of spectacle and delivering bold lines.
When defeating formidable foes, I love throwing out impactful phrases. But honestly, being a coarse man, I often can’t think of particularly fitting words..."
"Got it, Lord Jian. You want so cool and impressive phrases to amplify your strength and celebrate your victories?"
Zhou Xuan almost blurted out—Lord Jian, you just love showing off.
"That’s exactly it. It’s a small quirk of mine."
As Lord Jian spoke, the Red Coffin Lady was stifling her laughter, but she dared not laugh aloud—after all, she truly couldn’t beat Lord Jian.
Zhou Xuan, however, didn’t find it funny. He genuinely thought Lord Jian’s desire made perfect sense.
With incense fire cultivated to eight sticks—an exceptionally strong eight sticks at that, based on what the Red Coffin Lady and Painter had described—
what’s the point of reaching such heights if you don’t show off a little?
"Lord Jian, say no more. Crafting a vibe is my specialty."
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