"Tai Wei Three Sections, Eight Sceneries, Twenty-Four True Records"

A smile on his face, Chen Yan looked up beyond the tree hollow. The night was deep.

If not for the unsuitable time and place, Chen Yan would have dearly loved to throw back his head and howl at the sky, venting the excitement in his heart.

Yet there was always a pent-up breath in his chest that he could not release, so Chen Yan simply drew the Fish Dragon Saber from his waist.

"Shing!"

The long saber left its sheath, its snow-white blade reflecting specks of silver beneath the moonlight.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

Under the moonlight.

Chen Yan wielded the long saber according to the forms of the Blood Fiend Saber Technique—chopping, slashing, lifting, sweeping—like a fierce tiger descending the mountain. Every move brimmed with a heavy, powerful force.

With each breath and exhalation, the power of Blood Qi surged through his body. The muscles all over Chen Yan's body rose and fell, grinding against one another. Though the chill of spring remained biting, his internal organs were suffused with warmth, unafraid of the cold.

As time passed, Chen Yan's saber swings grew faster and faster. The Fish Dragon Saber even transformed into streaks of afterimages, weaving an impenetrable net of blades through the air. The blade sliced through the wind, letting out shrill whistles.

Yet Chen Yan seemed to have forgotten himself entirely, wholly immersed in his saber practice.

Who knew how much time had passed? When Chen Yan's state reached its peak, fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. His internal organs burned hot, and the power of Blood Qi within him became streams of warmth flowing through every limb and bone.

It was as though some kind of shackle had shattered. His sinews and bones rang in unison!

"Crack! Crack!"

"That felt good!"

Chen Yan's eyes suddenly lit up.

With one slash, the saber light became a frigid streak, and the great tree before him snapped in response.

A brilliant gleam flashed in his eyes, like stars in the night sky, sparkling brightly.

He opened his personal panel and looked at the cultivation techniques section.

Cultivation Technique: Blood Fiend Saber Technique (Reaching the Pinnacle)

Just as expected, the Blood Fiend Saber Technique had successfully advanced, reaching the realm of Reaching the Pinnacle!

Looking at the Blood Fiend Saber Technique at Reaching the Pinnacle, Chen Yan could no longer suppress the joy on his face. It overflowed with excitement and exhilarated smiles.

As the saying went, when fortune came, even Heaven and Earth lent their strength; when luck departed, even heroes were left helpless.

When luck came, nothing could stop it!

It was then that Old Daoist Liu, who had gone out to scout the path, finally returned. Seeing Chen Yan before the tree hollow, he said instinctively:

"Kid, I just went out to take a look. Not far ahead is—"

Halfway through his sentence, Old Daoist Liu abruptly fell silent. His eyes widened as he stared, dumbfounded, at the youth before him, whose Blood Qi was as vigorous as a fierce tiger. He asked in disbelief:

"You broke through?!!!"

"Just a minor breakthrough, just a minor breakthrough."

Chen Yan grinned, baring a mouthful of white teeth as he answered modestly.

"You call breaking through from the Blood Qi Realm to the Third Blood Qi Realm a 'minor breakthrough'?!"

Old Daoist Liu blew out his beard and glared, snapping irritably.

Then, he suddenly reached out and grabbed for Chen Yan's shoulder.

Chen Yan instinctively raised his arm to block, force gathering beneath his feet as he prepared to retreat.

But Old Daoist Liu's thin, bony hand was swift as lightning. Within a breath, it had already seized his shoulder.

With just a light shake, Chen Yan felt as if his entire body had been rattled apart, and his heart jolted in alarm.

What he did not know was that Old Daoist Liu across from him was equally startled.

The old daoist looked Chen Yan up and down repeatedly, as if he had never seen the youth before. His eyes were round with shock, his voice full of disbelief and self-doubt.

"Could it be that you really are a martial arts prodigy?"

Having regained his composure, Chen Yan shrugged indifferently. "Who knows?"

In any case, he could not possibly reveal the existence of the Heavenly Book of Merit. At worst, he would just maintain the persona of a martial arts prodigy.

"Hmph, don't get carried away too soon, kid." Old Daoist Liu's tone was somewhat sour. "You should know that there are always greater people beyond people, and higher heavens beyond heaven. There are plenty more talented than you."

"Besides, the martial path is ultimately limited. Innate is its end. If one truly wishes to roam free and easy, seek the Dao and attain longevity, cultivation is still the way."

"Yes, yes, you're right about everything. But since certain people refuse to teach me cultivation methods, don't I have no choice but to make a living through martial arts first?"

Chen Yan replied in a strange, mocking tone.

Old Daoist Liu rolled his eyes. "I knew you'd say that."

As he spoke, Old Daoist Liu tossed something over.

Chen Yan caught it and saw that it was an ancient booklet. It looked somewhat worn, and it was clear from its condition that someone had often read through it. On the cover, several large characters were written in flowing seal script—"Tai Wei Eight Sceneries Record."

Chen Yan's eyes lit up at the sight. He looked at Old Daoist Liu in delighted surprise.

"Is this a cultivation method?"

To his surprise, Old Daoist Liu shook his head.

"It isn't."

At those words, half the delight in Chen Yan's eyes immediately faded. He asked with little interest:

"Then what is it?"

"This scripture is called the 'Tai Wei Eight Sceneries Record,' also known as the 'Tai Wei Three Sections, Eight Sceneries, Twenty-Four True Records.' Though it is not a cultivation method, it is a Daoist scripture. Before cultivating, all disciples of the Daoist sect must thoroughly read three thousand Daoist Canons, memorizing them by heart until they can recite them fluently."

At this point, Old Daoist Liu cast Chen Yan a sidelong glance before continuing:

"If you can't even manage that much, kid, then I say there's no need for you to cultivate at all. You won't have any future in it anyway."

Chen Yan's face immediately turned solemn. He opened the Tai Wei Eight Sceneries Record in his hand and saw written within:

"The Upper Section's Diagram of the Eight True Gods: with the primordial qi of the grotto-heaven, it transforms and gives birth to the Eight True Ones of the natural upper sceneries..."

"The first scenery, the Brain God, named Jueyuanzi, courtesy name Daodu..."

"The second scenery, the Hair God, named Xuantianhua, courtesy name Daoheng..."

"The third scenery, the Skin God..."

Then, Chen Yan saw another familiar name:

"The seventh scenery, the Nose God, named Chonglongyu, courtesy name Daowei, in azure, white, and yellow; the Seventh Scenery Jade Talisman, the Seventh Scenery God of the Qi Section of the Upper Origin Grotto-Heaven."

He could not help recalling the talisman Old Daoist Liu had used before, the one that amplified the sense of smell and was highly useful for tracking Evil Spirits and Ghosts. Clearly, that Dragon Soaring Jade Divine Talisman had come from this scripture.

At that thought, Chen Yan's heart blazed with excitement. Though the Tai Wei Eight Sceneries Record before him was not a cultivation method, it was undoubtedly a Daoist art. As long as he committed it to memory, once Chen Yan formally stepped onto the path of cultivation in the future, it would certainly prove useful!

Stowing the Tai Wei Eight Sceneries Record against his chest, Chen Yan solemnly bowed to Old Daoist Liu.

"This junior thanks Daoist Liu for bestowing this method!"

Old Daoist Liu lifted his chin with a proud air. "Don't misunderstand, kid. This old daoist doesn't intend to take you as a disciple. This is merely payment for all the effort you've put in while following this old daoist about over the past few days."

"Yes, yes, whatever you say."

Chen Yan held back a laugh.

The old daoist flew into a rage and was just about to teach Chen Yan a lesson when a faint sound suddenly came from the bushes behind them.

"Patter~"

Without prior agreement, the two immediately shut their mouths. They exchanged a glance, then looked warily toward the bushes.

Under the moonlight, the dense bushes were pitch-black, yet they trembled lightly from time to time, as though something was about to emerge from within.

The two held their breath and stared.

The next second.

A black figure emerged from the bushes. Its entire body was black, its vertical pupils an unusual color, its form agile and graceful. Who else could it have been but Facai?

Facai crawled out of the bushes and was immediately met with Chen Yan and Old Daoist Liu staring at it warily. Thoroughly baffled, it let out a cry:

"Meow?"

Then Facai turned back, poked its head into the bushes, and dragged at something for a while. Before long, it pulled out a wild boar covered in fallen leaves and dirt.

Old Daoist Liu was completely dumbfounded. He blurted out in shock:

"Holy shit! Your Black Cat can actually hunt? Don't tell me it's really become a spirit!"

Facai gave Old Daoist Liu a disdainful look. Then, ignoring the wild boar, it leaped lightly onto Chen Yan's shoulder and extended its tongue to lick the blood from its paws.

Compared to Old Daoist Liu, Chen Yan was much calmer.

With Facai's current strength, taking down an ordinary wild boar was laughably easy.

"All right, all right, don't worry about it. Tonight's dinner is settled."

Chen Yan laughed it off.

The old daoist said nothing. His face full of shock, he looked at Facai, then at Chen Yan, as though he were looking at two monsters.

One was a Black Cat with no demonic aura that was more monstrous than demons themselves. The other was a youth who had only just turned sixteen, yet had broken through to the Third Blood Qi Realm in mere days.

Old Daoist Liu realized that he could no longer understand this world.