"Mysterious Dao Solution Method," Mother Diviner's Gift

The squelching sound came from the sticky tissue clinging to the scroll brushing against Yang An's flesh.

Suppressing his nausea, he scraped those filthy things aside before finally touching the scroll itself.

At that very moment, an information panel appeared before Yang An's eyes, as if on cue.

"Mysterious Dao Solution Method": Partially missing. Can reach the third solution of the False Eater Realm. Taken from the Earth Celestial Method Stele and passed down through the Fate Crane Sect lineage. One realm, three solutions; one solution, one art. Wonderful methods wound around the body, merging with the Dao to ascend as an immortal.

Cultivation cost: Those who merge three arts shall see True Illusion; those who merge six arts shall see Cang Zhuo; those who merge nine arts shall see Mirror Self; those who merge twelve arts shall see Lower Kou... There is no end to arts, and no end to what one sees.

Status: Can be purified!

To be honest, even though Yang An had carefully read through the contents of the information panel in a very short time, his mind was still somewhat muddled.

Because he did not understand it!

But the current circumstances did not allow him to ponder the matter. He could only set it aside for now and investigate it later.

Nor was he in any rush to purify the cultivation method. He had to first figure out its specifics; otherwise, once the cultivation cost vanished, there would be no way to look into it.

Then, with a thought from Yang An, the fanged maw of the Flesh-Buried Talisman opened in his right palm. He immediately fed the scroll in his hand into its stomach pouch for temporary storage.

It had to be said, possessing an artifact capable of storing items was indeed far more convenient.

After putting away the cultivation method, Yang An looked toward Old Man Fate Crane and waited for his next arrangement.

Only then did Old Man Fate Crane slowly begin speaking about the cultivation method.

"Before you begin cultivating this method, there is something your master must make clear to you beforehand."

"To cultivate this method, you must prepare a sufficient number of arts. Every time you raise your cultivation realm, you will need one art to serve as a Fate Dao Technique and merge it into yourself. This will be the long stairway by which you ascend to immortality in the future, and also the support you rely upon when tribulations descend!"

"The Lighting Method was created by your master himself. It is the Fate Dao Technique best suited for the first solution of the False Eater Realm. As for what comes after, you may decide for yourself."

"Yes!"

Yang An nodded. Old Man Fate Crane had only given a brief explanation of the cultivation method, and another person might still have felt as though they were lost amid clouds and mist.

But combined with what he had just seen in the information panel, he could more or less understand it.

Matching it with the contents of the information panel, a guess arose in his heart.

Going by what Old Man Fate Crane had said, each cultivation realm's early, middle, and late stages should each correspond to one solution method. One major realm contained three solution methods.

And every time one advanced a realm, whether major or minor, one needed to refine an art into a Fate Dao Technique.

This was both for the sake of ascending to immortality and for surviving tribulations.

The former was easy to understand. The ultimate goal of all cultivators was to become immortals, but what exactly was this latter tribulation?

A Heavenly Tribulation like those in novels?

Yang An felt it was not so simple!

Because he had suddenly recalled the cultivation cost of this method, which clearly came in stages.

Merge three arts, six arts, nine arts, twelve arts... Every stage was marked by the number three, and every major realm happened to contain three minor realms.

Therefore, if he had guessed correctly, the tribulation Old Man Fate Crane spoke of should refer to the cultivation cost of the method.

Whenever one advanced into a major realm, a tribulation would descend!

At this thought, Yang An suddenly saw the light, but at the same time realized something terrifying.

He still remembered that when he had first obtained the Lighting Method, the information panel had introduced it as one of the "Thirteen Arts of the Fate Crane Sect"!

Since the Fate Crane Sect had been founded by Old Man Fate Crane, that meant these Thirteen Arts were the thirteen arts he possessed, and very likely Old Man Fate Crane's Fate Dao Techniques.

If the Thirteen Arts meant Old Man Fate Crane had already passed the thirteenth solution, then his cultivation...

Since the Resonance Stage was not a true realm, merely something used to test one's compatibility with a cultivation method, the False Eater Realm was the true beginning of cultivation.

Calculated according to one realm, three solutions; one solution, one art...

Three arts meant the False Eater Realm, six arts meant the Origin Feed Realm, nine arts meant the Viscera Stone Realm, twelve arts meant the Flesh Rupture Realm—then the thirteenth art was...

Stiff God!!!

Hiss—

Yang An suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air, feeling even his heart tremble.

This kindly old man was actually a terrifying great power of the Stiff God Realm!!

He had originally thought that since Mother Diviner True Person was a True Person of the Viscera Stone Realm, Old Man Fate Crane—whom she called Senior and treated with such reverence—was most likely in the Flesh Rupture Realm.

But now it seemed Old Man Fate Crane's terror had still exceeded Yang An's imagination.

Fortunately, he had not made any overly extreme moves of resistance earlier. Instead, he had unexpectedly become this old man's personal disciple. Truly, fortune leaned upon misfortune, and misfortune concealed fortune.

In but an instant, no one knew that Yang An had absorbed so much information at once.

Seeing that he seemed to have gained some understanding, Old Man Fate Crane nodded with the gratified air of an elder and said, "A teachable child."

He was exceedingly satisfied with Yang An's performance and talent.

The crane head beside him rolled its eyes twice, seemingly thinking of something as a greedy look spread across its face.

"Since this brat has satisfied you, then the other eleven in the sect are nothing but a pack of trash. Why not let me...?"

"Hmm?"

Before it could finish, Old Man Fate Crane's kindly expression instantly darkened.

"Haha, you old fellow really can't take a joke."

The crane head immediately shrank its neck, knowing that he had truly become enraged.

"Fine, fine! They're all yours! All yours!"

It shouted in its shrill voice, then simply fell silent and withdrew back onto his shoulder.

Only then did Old Man Fate Crane stop paying it any heed and turn to Mother Diviner True Person beside him.

Crack!

With a soft sound, the darkness all around them vanished once more. The group returned to the original cavern, and even their positions relative to one another had not changed.

Mother Diviner True Person immediately understood. Smiling like a blooming flower, she looked at Yang An.

"Later, little Daoist friend, follow the child attendant under my command. I shall have someone arrange a quiet room for you where absolutely no one will disturb you.

"Furthermore, to congratulate Senior Fate Crane and also little Daoist friend, since Mother Diviner has had the good fortune of witnessing today's events, I naturally ought to prepare a small gift for little Daoist friend."

"Later, little Daoist friend may stroll through the Communal Feast Convention. If anything catches your eye, simply take it. Consider it a meeting gift from me. So long as you remain on my island, you may also command these child attendants as you please."

Mother Diviner True Person could naturally tell that Old Man Fate Crane was highly satisfied with this new disciple.

At this moment, Old Man Fate Crane was in high spirits. Pleasing Yang An was equivalent to indirectly pleasing Old Man Fate Crane, and such flattery would surely yield twice the result with half the effort. Thus, she was exceptionally generous.

Although Old Man Fate Crane remained unmoved and revealed nothing on his face, Yang An was delighted.

Thinking back to Mother Diviner True Person's forceful manner when he had first been invited here, she was now like a completely different person.

Naturally, this was the effect of his newly acknowledged master's exalted status. One thing always subdued another.

"Thank you, Mother Diviner True Person!"

Yang An thanked her sincerely.

Since she had told him to take whatever he liked, he would have to find time later to take a proper look around.

Even if he could not go too far, he still had to do justice to Mother Diviner True Person's kindness.

Now he no longer needed to worry about the plight of cooking by counting grains of rice, nor did he need to owe Pan Shi and his junior sister any favors.

Yang An was in excellent spirits.

Before long, escorted closely by several Muckworm Children, he left the place.