Beast Strength

"Please instruct this lowly one, Young Master!" Li Qi immediately rose and clasped his hands in salute.

It did not matter if he could not become a disciple. In his current state, if he could latch onto a powerful patron—even if all he could grab was a single leg hair—he could not let the chance slip away. Thinking this, Li Qi made his choice without hesitation.

Young Master Zhu, meanwhile, scrutinized Li Qi.

There was another point as well: as one of the Outer Path, Li Qi could be confirmed to have a clean background. He could not possibly be a pawn planted in advance by some great figure.

There were not many people of the Outer Path, but neither were they rare. All of them could be verified as innocent; there would be no possibility that one was a chess piece laid down by some great power a thousand years ago, who had calculated karma and was waiting for this very moment to spring a trap on you.

Since the Great Sacrifice had shown that someone of the Outer Path could bring great fortune, it was only natural for him to make an investment.

That was why Young Master Zhu had appeared here.

So he continued, "The technique you cultivate is called the Ox-Strength Technique. You most likely do not know its origins, but I can explain them to you."

"The Ox-Strength Technique was born from the Myriad Beast Technique. It was an agreement reached between the Great Shamans of Wushen Mountain and the various earthly deities."

"The cultivation paths of Wushen Mountain are divided into three: Human-Ghost, earthly deity, and heavenly god. Of them, Human-Ghost is the strongest, while heavenly gods and earthly deities have no distinction of superiority or inferiority."

"We will set the other two paths aside for now and speak of the earthly deities you are currently involved with."

"So-called earthly deities are gods of the myriad things. Mountains and rivers have mountain gods, waterways have water gods, farmlands have agricultural gods; the various land gods and the Five Sacrifices Gods—such as door gods, kitchen gods, and the like—are all earthly deities."

"Most of these earthly deities are transformed spirits and monsters. A mountain god is generally a mountain spirit with profound cultivation from that mountain, while a water god is generally the strongest water monster in that stretch of water. Because they possess supernatural powers and are worshipped by the local people, they receive the benefits of incense offerings, forge karmic ties, and put down roots there. They nurture their golden bodies and thereby become gods."

"Therefore, many earthly deities are birds and beasts, and birds and beasts often possess strange abilities far beyond those of ordinary people."

"The Great Shamans of Wushen Mountain traveled the earth, seeking out earthly deities and befriending myriad beasts, reaching agreements with them. They offered up their own essence, while the Great Shamans of Wushen Mountain used the Great Sacrifice of Heaven and Earth as a guide to construct a Myriad Beast Diagram. Within the Myriad Beast Diagram are fourteen thousand six hundred and thirty-two techniques, each corresponding to a mountain-and-river earthly deity."

"To cultivate the Myriad Beast Technique is to use this object as a guide. Even if separated by tens of millions of miles, one can still receive the aid and blessing of the corresponding earthly deity, gaining some special strange ability."

"The Ox-Strength Technique you cultivate comes from Li Prefecture and the Barbarian Tribe. The earthly deity worshipped by the local people is a white ox named Jade Ox. It has four eyes; its horns curve inward, long and unbranched, so its temperament is forthright. Beneath its eyes are another two eyes, closed by day and opened by night to illuminate things. Its hide is thick, and it excels at entering thorny thickets without injury. Its strength is boundless—it can carry two mountains on its shoulders as it walks. Its body is enormous, ninety zhang tall."

"Whenever you use the Ox-Strength Technique, you borrow the power of the Jade Ox through the Myriad Beast Diagram. That is why your body can suddenly grow a foot larger, your vitality surge, and you gain the strength of an ox. Your skin also becomes tough, impervious to blades and spears." Young Master Zhu bombarded him with information in one breath.

"This is a technique exclusive to the shaman lineage of Wushen Mountain. Only shamans of Wushen Mountain may cultivate it. Moreover, this technique is wondrous and will have no side effects." Young Master Zhu clapped his hands, smiling pleasantly.

"There is only one catch: all of this rests on the premise that you are a shaman."

"You are not a shaman, yet you have mastered the Ox-Strength Technique through my Divine Will Inheritance. When you cast it, you have no corresponding power to serve as its catalyst."

"However, there is one thing in the human body that can serve as the catalyst for all techniques: Qi, one of the Three Innate Treasures."

"Qi is formless and incorporeal. As the foundation that nourishes essence and spirit, its existence is exceedingly wondrous. It can almost serve as a substitute for anything. The Ox-Strength Technique you activated before was launched by forcibly using the Qi in your own body, since you lacked the corresponding cultivation method."

"Now that I have put it this way, do you understand? Why you have recently felt weak, why you have become frail? In truth, if this continues, Qi will no longer be able to support your essence and spirit. Then you will grow weaker and weaker, until you finally breathe your last." Young Master Zhu spoke calmly.

After hearing this, Li Qi immediately understood.

No wonder he had developed those symptoms. Sure enough... they were related to the Ox-Strength Technique.

In other words, if he had failed the trial or run away, then... before long, he would have died because of this technique.

This Young Master Zhu had calculated things quite ruthlessly.

But... if it was related to the Ox-Strength Technique...

"Young Master has been frank with this lowly one! Yet this lowly one also dares not conceal anything. Young Master, I have something to report. Earlier, not knowing this technique's origins, I gave the training method to everyone in my gang. Now that I see this, their lives may be in danger. I beg Young Master to show mercy and give this lowly one some time to return and warn them not to practice it, lest they die an untimely death!" Li Qi said at once!

He still cared deeply about the people of the Wave-Pushing Gang. Now that he understood the Ox-Strength Technique could be fatal without the corresponding cultivation method, he immediately pleaded with Young Master Zhu.

He had no wish to return after a year or half and find only the corpses of the Wave-Pushing Gang.

Seeing Li Qi's reaction, Young Master Zhu was quite satisfied. Though clever, he was not cold-blooded; he still had feelings. This better matched Young Master Zhu's own views.

After all, the Shaman Path required one to clarify one's true heart. Young Master Zhu himself was indeed a kind person. If Li Qi had shown no attachment to old bonds whatsoever, he would still have used him as a chess piece, but he would not have taken him too seriously.

A chess piece and an apprentice were not the same.

Thus, he answered, "Of course. So long as you do not delay the journey to find Lady Luofu, you may do whatever you wish. But remember this: if one cultivates the methods of Wushen Mountain without permission, at best one will accomplish nothing; at worst, one will breathe one's last."

"Oh, no—not just Wushen Mountain. The entire world is like this. The more profound the method, the more this is so. You must remember it well." Young Master Zhu put away his flippant expression and spoke solemnly to Li Qi.

"Next, I will pass the method on to you. Cultivate according to it, and you will have entered the gates of Wushen Mountain and gained a place to belong. Let me confirm this once more: accepting this means accepting the mission. From this day onward, you will also be an Earthly Deity Shaman of Wushen Mountain."

Of course Li Qi was not unwilling. He immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

Young Master Zhu said no more and lightly pressed a finger to Li Qi's forehead.

The familiar Divine Will Inheritance.

Li Qi felt that something had appeared in his mind.

But... it was not like before, not something akin to memories. Rather... it was a book?

A book had appeared in his mind. If he did not read it, he knew nothing, yet he could flip through it at will? And there was none of that sensation of having his head struck by a club. Instead, he felt exceptionally refreshed, without any burden at all. It had even driven away his drowsiness.

This... seemed to feel different from the previous Divine Will Inheritance.