After frolicking in the hot spring halfway up the mountain for quite some time, Wu Tian finally calmed down and began examining the techniques Senior Zhu Yushuang had taught him.
When he focused his mind on his spiritual platform, he sensed two runes, one purple and one scarlet. The moment his mind touched them, a dense mass of runes surged forth.
Wu Tian felt dizzy and heavy-headed. After digesting them for a long while, he finally sorted out the many runes, and two additional skills naturally appeared on the System Panel.
Fire Pupil Curse: High-grade Curse Technique. It guided in the essence qi of fire to temper the eye apertures, allowing one to see clearly, pierce illusions, and observe minute details. Upon reaching perfection, it could slightly increase one's affinity with the fire attribute.
Thunder Sound Curse: High-grade Curse Technique. An auxiliary technique that could shake the five viscera, cleanse the turbid qi, bad luck, and Killing Intent within the body, purify one's aura, and temper the physique. Upon reaching perfection, it could guide in a small amount of the essence qi of thunder.
"It's actually a High-grade Curse Technique." Joy appeared on Wu Tian's face. "Senior is truly generous."
He had been cultivating in the Law Transmission Hall during this period, so he naturally understood some basic cultivation knowledge.
The first four realms of cultivation were Foundation Establishment, Qi Nurturing, Cauldron Casting, and Spell Refinement.
Foundation Establishment meant guiding in the essence qi of Heaven and Earth to nourish oneself. When one's essence became full and overflowed, transforming into a wisp of True Qi, the realm was considered complete.
Qi Nurturing involved opening apertures and unblocking meridians, circulating True Qi, and nurturing and refining one's essence, qi, and spirit. Only when all the meridians throughout the body were unobstructed and True Qi could emerge from the body was the realm considered complete.
In these two realms, one cultivated only curse techniques, using the Dao Charm contained in ancient sounds to guide in the essence qi of Heaven and Earth and complete one's cultivation.
Curse techniques were divided into Beginner, Secret Transmission, and High-grade.
Beginner Curse Techniques were generally only suitable for the Foundation Establishment realm and were the entry-level methods for all cultivators.
Secret Transmission Curse Techniques could only be cultivated after one possessed True Qi. They could temper True Qi, aid cultivation, and had all sorts of wondrous uses. They were basically the secret inheritances of the various sects.
High-grade Curse Techniques, however, were exceedingly rare. Not only were their effects far superior to Secret Transmission Curse Techniques, they often also had the effects of consolidating one's foundation, nurturing one's vitality, cleansing the sinews and marrow, and improving one's innate talent.
Basically, only great sects in the Central Plains with inheritances spanning more than a thousand years could possess High-grade Curse Techniques. Small sects with shallow foundations found it extremely difficult to obtain such techniques.
After obtaining the techniques, Wu Tian immediately returned to the mountain gate. His departure this time had been too sudden, and if he delayed too long and missed the meal hour at the dining hall, Aunt Wu and Wu Xia'er would likely worry about him.
He sprang from the water and landed on the bank. His fur quivered, shaking off the droplets of water, while his white coat grew even more lustrous.
With the Thousand Mile Divine Speed talent, he ran extremely fast, streaking through the mountain forest like a white shadow.
When he neared the mountain gate, the bell hanging around his neck swayed, sending out pale golden ripples. Wu Tian entered the mountain gate soundlessly without disturbing anyone.
Seeing that it was getting late, he hurried toward the dining hall.
However, it was already somewhat late today. The disciples beside the Law Transmission Hall had even begun their morning lessons.
"You little rascal, why are you so late today? I thought someone had caught you and eaten you as dog meat!" Aunt Wu relaxed when she saw Wu Tian arrive. She hurriedly poured the prepared food into the dog bowl, though her mouth remained as sharp as ever.
"Hmph. I think sooner or later someone will skin and dismember this fellow and turn him into dog meat." Fatty Huang muttered from the side. He always felt that his wife and daughter cared far too much about this dog, and it irritated him.
Wu Tian had no time to bicker with Fatty Huang. He quickly finished the food in the dog bowl, and the disciples from the Law Transmission Hall happened to finish their morning lessons.
He hurriedly slipped away. The disciples from the Law Transmission Hall had already begun arriving at the dining hall one after another.
Wu Tian sensed familiar auras and knew that Feitianyun and Guduo were heading this way. He dared not delay any longer. With a leap, he transformed into a streak of white light, skimmed over the wall, and quickly slipped away along its corner.
Over at the Law Transmission Hall, after Feitianyun entered the mountain gate, several disciples who had joined Moyun Village in its early years looked after her because of her identity as the village chief's daughter.
Her status was extraordinary. Moreover, although her aptitude did not reach the upper grade, she was considered outstanding even among those with a middle-grade Immortal root. Naturally, she was surrounded by people flattering her, making her increasingly spoiled.
Once she entered the Law Transmission Hall, however, everyone around her was a fellow disciple who cultivated curse techniques, and the rules of the sect were strict. She did not dare act too recklessly. Even toward a lowly commoner like Guduo, whom she had always looked down on, she only dared to scorn and belittle him verbally and absolutely did not dare lay a hand on him.
As it happened, she was walking toward the dining hall with several senior brothers and sisters. While chatting and laughing, she somehow turned her head and happened to spot a white shadow flashing past the corner of a wall.
Feitianyun did not pay attention at first, but when she was eating, the more she thought about it, the more familiar that white shadow seemed.
After pondering for a long while, she suddenly slammed her bowls and chopsticks onto the table.
"Oh no, could that be the damned beast?"
How could Feitianyun sit still after thinking of this? She did not even eat her meal and immediately went searching everywhere, wanting to confirm whether the white shadow she had seen was the white dog she had encountered in the village below the mountain.
"Junior Sister, what's wrong?" The senior sister traveling with her found it rather inexplicable and asked.
Feitianyun did not know how to explain it. She also did not want to reveal the somewhat humiliating experience she had suffered in the village below the mountain, so she found an excuse to fob her off before leaving the dining hall without looking back.
"You girls eat first. Don't wait for me."
However, after searching the entire dining hall and the area around the Law Transmission Hall, she still failed to find any trace of the white dog.
"Could I really have been seeing things?"
Somewhat unwilling to accept it, she stamped her foot and snorted coldly. "Damned beast, don't let me catch you. Otherwise, I'll make you pay."
By the time she returned to the dining hall, she had delayed for so long that the other disciples had basically finished eating and left.
Feitianyun originally intended to leave with the senior sister who had come with her, but she suddenly saw Aunt Wu using a curse technique to wash the bowls and chopsticks. Her eyes shifted, and she ran over to ask, "Hey..."
The words had barely left her mouth when she hurriedly stopped. After all, the person before her was no mortal but a cultivator capable of using curse techniques. Although she had always looked down on the two people at the dining hall and felt they embarrassed the cultivators, she knew that she could not afford to offend them now.
Thus, she stiffly changed her tone. "You... er, Senior, have you seen a white dog around here?"
Aunt Wu frowned almost imperceptibly at her words and replied without raising her head, "Never seen one, never seen one. What white dog could there be at the dining hall?"
Feitianyun did not suspect anything after hearing this. "That's true. That little wretch never came up the mountain afterward either. How could a beast have entered the mountain gate? I must have been mistaken just now."
"Maybe it was some white bird..."
She muttered, "Once my cultivation succeeds, I'll go down the mountain and settle accounts with it."
With that, she left together with her fellow disciples.
Fatty Huang, who was tidying the cooking utensils nearby, had also heard those words. His eyes immediately narrowed slightly, and no one knew what he was plotting.
Yet after the disciples from the Law Transmission Hall had gone far away, Aunt Wu directly slapped Fatty Huang on the back. The crack rang out, making anyone who heard it feel the pain in their flesh.
"Huang the Fourth, I'm warning you. You'd better not get any crooked ideas."
Aunt Wu understood her husband far too well. Although he was stingy and greedy for money, he was not malicious. He was also steady and hardworking, and cared deeply for his family. Otherwise, she would never have chosen him from among her many suitors back then.
It was just that this fellow was narrow-minded and did not take an unawakened white dog seriously at all. Instead, he found it an eyesore and even felt that it had delayed his daughter's cultivation by distracting Wu Xia'er.
Seeing Huang Ren narrow his eyes in thought, she knew her husband had probably developed some crooked idea. She planted her hands on her hips and scolded, "Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. Don't forget, Senior Brother Man Xiong gave orders regarding this matter."
"He's a True Disciple who has forged the Cloud Leopard Body and begun Spell Refinement."
"If you accidentally offend him, do you know what will happen to you?"
Fatty Huang shuddered at her words. His entire mass of fat trembled as he hurriedly shook his head. "Wife, madam, you're overthinking it. How would I dare..."
"You'd better not, or this old lady will chop off your ears." Aunt Wu scolded him a few more times. Only after making sure she had dispelled her husband's thoughts did she say, "All right, leave this to me. Go tidy up first."
She felt sorry for her husband. He had risen before dawn to bustle about and had yet to eat a single bite.
Fatty Huang naturally knew that his wife was worried about him. After all these years, this woman had always been sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. He chuckled and said, "Wife, there's no one around now, and Xia'er isn't here either. It's been a long time since the two of us cultivated the Water Grinding Curse. Why don't we go study it for a while?"
A blush immediately crept across Aunt Wu's face. She rebuked him, "You shameless old thing. How old are you, and you still keep thinking about this sort of thing?"
The Water Grinding Curse was a Secret Transmission Dual Cultivation technique. When cultivated by a man and woman together, it not only allowed them to enjoy all sorts of wonderful pleasures but also provided a small benefit to their cultivation.
"Who can blame me when my wife was born beautiful, and even at this age, she still retains her charm..." Fatty Huang said as he reached for his wife's hand.
Aunt Wu directly slapped his hand away, her fine brows rising. "Who did you just say was old?"
Women hated others mentioning their age no matter how old they were. Fatty Huang's words had struck the wrong nerve, directly igniting the fiery temper of this bold woman.
As she spoke, she picked up an iron ladle. Fatty Huang jumped in fright, turned, and ran. "Wife, spare my life! I'll never dare again!"
Before you continue