"These things are all too good. I'm really not used to it."
After tossing and turning on the bed for quite a while, Luo Bei finally could not help but let out a bitter laugh and sit up.
On the nameless peak of Luofu, where Luo Bei had lived was exceedingly crude: a hard wooden bed padded with dry grass, covered in animal hides. Though whole beast pelts would certainly have been worth a great deal beyond the mountains, simply treated hides were not comfortable to sleep beneath. Yet in this room the Purple Micro Daoist Temple had arranged for Luo Bei, there was a large carved sandalwood bed, layered with fine cotton padding and covered by a thin silk quilt. The sheets, quilt lining, and quilt cover were all lustrous black silk, understated and suited to the temple's ethereal atmosphere. Sleeping in them during this weather brought a trace of icy freshness.
Beneath the small shrine before the bed, a tray of purple Agarwood Incense was burning. This incense was made from dozens of spices and medicinal ingredients, including asarum, moon qilin, nard, storax, agarwood, sandalwood, borneol, and ambergris. Its fragrance calmed the heart and settled the mind, but it was also extraordinarily expensive. Only the homes of officials and wealthy magnates could generally afford it; a single tray cost as much as an ordinary household's monthly expenses.
Such incense was so costly that its effects were naturally excellent, yet though it was already midnight, Luo Bei simply could not fall asleep.
On a table not far from the bed sat an ivory-white porcelain pot filled with Osmanthus Dew. Luo Bei had tasted it; it was a sweet, slightly sour, and very delicious drink. Perhaps fearing that Luo Bei would grow hungry at night, several varieties of exquisite pastries had also been placed on a dish beside it.
These conditions were vastly better than those at Luofu. No wonder so many people wanted their descendants to become disciples of the Purple Micro Daoist Temple. Yet what filled Luo Bei's mind at that moment was precisely his time at Luofu.
"If Master wanted fine clothes, rich food, glory, and wealth, it would be no more than lifting a hand. But too much comfort only makes one lose the will to advance, and hinders devoted cultivation of the Dao. Our Luofu Sect willingly dwells amid Luofu's poor mountains and foul waters because we mean to rise to the challenge."
Luo Bei sat there blankly, when he suddenly recalled the horse-faced daoist priest on the mountain path of the Medicine King Sect, whom Yuan Tianyi had instantly refined, together with his magical treasure, into flying ash with the world-destroying Six Paths Purgatory Karmic Fire Red Lotus.
"This Purple Micro Daoist Temple also seems to depend on officials, but the convoy that daoist priest belonged to seemed even more powerful. His food, clothing, and daily life should have been better than this, yet his cultivation was far inferior to Master's."
"I wonder what kind of cultivation art Master taught me."
Luo Bei let his thoughts run wild for a while. The instant he thought of the Eternal Life Sutra of Delusion Yuan Tianyi had imparted to him, its profound diagrams and cultivation formulas suddenly emerged in his mind with perfect clarity.
This cultivation art absorbed only pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Unlike the Mahākāla Secret Method, it did not require the absorption of True Sun Fire, so its cultivation was not restricted by day or night.
No one could be allowed to know that he was a Luofu disciple, nor could he reveal any Luofu cultivation art. In that case, cultivating at night was all the more suitable.
As soon as this thought arose in Luo Bei's mind, he carefully went through the cultivation formulas deeply imprinted in his memory again. Master's empowerment technique is truly miraculous. Luo Bei soon discovered that not only did he remember everything with complete clarity, he also had little difficulty comprehending those abstruse diagrams and cultivation formulas. After reviewing them once, all their meanings had become clear.
"I just wonder what kind of divine abilities this cultivation art will bring after it is cultivated."
Yet among the memories deeply imprinted in Luo Bei's mind, there was no record whatsoever of what divine abilities or spells the Eternal Life Sutra of Delusion would grant after cultivation. Although this place is not situated on a spiritual vein and its spiritual energy is thin, I can't sleep anyway. I might as well cultivate and see. With that in mind, Luo Bei simply sat properly on the bed in accordance with the prescribed posture.
"What smell is that?"
The first step of the Eternal Life Sutra of Delusion was entering stillness and internal observation. But as Luo Bei closed his eyes and slowly regulated his breathing, before his heart had fully settled, his nose suddenly caught a faint strange odor. "It's the smell of blood!" Luo Bei abruptly came to his senses and snapped his eyes open. At first he thought it was an illusion produced during cultivation, but after opening his eyes, the bloody smell not only had not vanished, it had grown even stronger, so strong that even the fragrance of the Agarwood Incense could not conceal it.
"Why is there such a heavy smell of blood in this Daoist temple?" Finding it strange, Luo Bei could not help dressing himself, pushing open the door, and walking outside.
Luo Bei's room was located in the middle of the entire temple, within a small courtyard resembling a square compound built to embody the meaning of squareness, uprightness, roundness, and harmony. There were three nearly identical rooms and a circular archway. At the center stood an exquisite Taihu stone rockery, with sparse Xiaoxiang bamboo planted beside it. Compared to the decorations in the room, it possessed an even plainer and more elegant charm. The moment Luo Bei opened the door, he was startled.
True Master Qingxu, wearing a Purple Gold Daoist Crown and a black daoist robe, stood directly opposite Luo Bei at the entrance to the circular archway.
"You're awake? Are you wondering why there is such a dense smell of blood in the Daoist temple?" True Master Qingxu was not surprised in the slightest to see Luo Bei emerge. He merely smiled faintly, turned around, and said, "Follow me."
"There were clearly so many people in the temple during the day. Why is it now completely silent, as though there isn't a single person here?"
"Why is he bringing me here in the middle of the night?"
Luo Bei followed behind True Master Qingxu all the way to the room where he conducted his daily cultivation. When he saw True Master Qingxu press a mechanism and reveal the secret chamber of the Purple Micro Daoist Temple, Luo Bei felt that something was amiss. Yet seeing True Master Qingxu's billowing sleeves and unhurried bearing, Luo Bei knew full well that even if he did not wish to follow, he would be unable to resist. Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it. I'll first see what this is all about. Luo Bei was naturally bold, and after his encounter with Kunlun's Seven-Colored Dragon Boat at Mass Grave Hill, everything he had heard and seen had been bizarre beyond compare. Coupled with Yuan Tianyi's deliberate tempering, his true heart had long become more steadfast than that of ordinary cultivators.
In the long passageway, when Luo Bei had first been brought to the Purple Micro Daoist Temple by True Master Qingxu half a day earlier, the Yin-Yang Purple River Carts lining both sides had all vanished. But the closer they came to the secret chamber, the heavier that dense smell of blood became.
"What is that?!" By the time Luo Bei entered the secret chamber, the bloody stench was so thick it made him feel nauseated, as though he might vomit. And the first thing to catch his eye upon entering was an Alchemy Furnace connected to earthfire.
Now, flames shot straight up to the ceiling from that Alchemy Furnace, and the entire furnace had been burned red-hot. If anyone accidentally touched it, they would likely be scorched into charcoal in no time.
And that dense smell of blood was emanating from this Alchemy Furnace!
"You...!" Before Luo Bei could examine the Alchemy Furnace closely, he suddenly heard an incredulous cry.
Following the source of the voice, Luo Bei finally saw the person hanging on the wall, like a dried corpse!
That cry had come from this corpse-like person. At that moment, his gaze was fixed dead on Luo Bei, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Well, Junior Brother, are you also astonished by such aptitude?!" At that moment, True Master Qingxu let out a thunderous, wild laugh utterly at odds with his usual demeanor and status.
"Beast!" The corpse-like man on the wall roared even more fiercely, seeming as though the corners of his eyes were about to split. "With such aptitude, if properly taught, he might very well make our Purple Micro Daoist Temple hold its head high! Yet you still intend to commit such a deed intolerable to heaven's laws!"
"Intolerable to heaven's laws?" True Master Qingxu sneered. "You and I have cultivated the Dao for so long—what heaven's laws have we ever seen? I only know that no matter how carefully he is taught, it cannot compare to letting me undergo Purple River Rebirth, gain the memories of another life, and cultivate personally. That is far more reliable!"
"You beast!" The corpse-like man struggled, making the iron chains clatter.
"Junior Brother, why waste your strength?" True Master Qingxu did not look at him, but turned to Luo Bei instead. A gentle light shone from his eyes, as warm as polished jade. "Luo Bei, the fact that you can still remain calm and composed even now truly proves that your innate gifts are extraordinary."
Having heard the conversation between True Master Qingxu and the corpse-like man on the wall, Luo Bei had already sensed that something was wrong. But seeing Qingxu's leisurely expression, Luo Bei knew resistance would be useless with his own strength. Thus, he merely looked at True Master Qingxu and asked in return, "You lured me into the Purple Micro Daoist Temple not because you truly wanted to accept me as your disciple?"
"After today, you will be me, and I will be you." A fanatical gleam flashed through True Master Qingxu's eyes. After saying this, he suddenly pointed at the blazing Alchemy Furnace. "Junior Brother, watch the Purple River Rebirth Pill I have refined!"
Boom!
The lid of the Alchemy Furnace burst open! The scorching blast nearly swept Luo Bei off his feet, and even several racks holding Daoist magical implements in the secret chamber were knocked down with loud crashes.
"So that is the Purple River Rebirth Pill?"
Luo Bei looked up and saw that what had burst out from the furnace was actually a dark-red, gelatinous sphere about two feet across, twisting and writhing in midair!
"After exhausting thirty years of effort, I have finally gathered all the materials and refined this Purple River Rebirth Pill!" At the same time, True Master Qingxu's face seemed twisted by the violently dispersing blast. Where was even a trace of Immortal Bone Daoist Aura left on him?!
Daoist Master Qingxu stared fixedly at the distorted, gelatinous Purple River Rebirth Pill, when from the corner of his eye he suddenly saw Luo Bei collapse to the ground, apparently frightened unconscious.
"A mountain wild child is a mountain wild child after all. He has finally fainted from fright at this point! Good, that saves me some trouble."
"Don't blame me either. Mountain wild children like you, eight or nine out of ten, die sudden deaths in the wilderness. If I achieve great things in the future, everyone will revere even your likeness!"
True Master Qingxu flicked his long sleeve, and the air exploded with sharp crackling sounds. As his right-hand fingers drew through the air, the Purple River Rebirth Pill suspended above the Alchemy Furnace seemed to grow two tentacles. One extended toward Luo Bei, the other toward True Master Qingxu. In his left hand, True Master Qingxu held a gleaming, sharp silver needle. He pricked his own brow and drew a drop of blood, then bent down and pricked Luo Bei's brow as well.
So long as they used the blood from both their brows and the Purple River Rebirth Pill as a catalyst, True Master Qingxu could merge his life essence and Primordial Spirit with Luo Bei's body. At that time, Luo Bei's Primordial Spirit and soul would be extinguished, and the Luo Bei of the past would cease to exist!
"One who, like you, dreams of ascending to heaven in a single step will forever have to live by another's favor, no matter how great his aptitude. Greedy and deluded without knowing it, you are utterly unworthy to discuss the Dao!" At that moment, a voice cold to the extreme suddenly rang out within the secret chamber of the Purple Micro Daoist Temple.
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