Evil Cultivator Appears

Although the zombie incident had temporarily subsided, Uncle Nine's doubts only grew.

The ferocity of the zombie Ren Weiyong had become, along with the possible conspiracy behind it, weighed on his heart like a massive boulder.

At the same time, Mo Yuan's almost monstrous comprehension and the mysterious power that had flashed through the talisman made Uncle Nine realize he needed to adjust how he taught this disciple.

The next morning, Uncle Nine called Mo Yuan alone into the meditation room.

"Mo Yuan,"

Uncle Nine said solemnly, "your talent is extraordinary, far beyond my expectations. But the path of the Dao is like rowing upstream—if you do not advance, you fall behind.

If your foundation is unstable, then even with heaven-reaching abilities, you will be nothing more than a castle in the air.

From today onward, aside from your daily lessons, you must redouble your training of both mind and body."

With that, Uncle Nine took out two items. One was an ordinary-looking gray hemp vest, yet it was incredibly heavy in his hands, likely weighing dozens of pounds.

"This is the Iron Vest, woven from fine strands of black iron. From now on, you must wear it while cultivating, walking, sitting, and sleeping. You are not allowed to take it off.

"The other is a slender stick of sandalwood incense. This is Soul-Stabilizing Incense. Once lit, you must sit cross-legged on a meditation cushion and enter concentration before it burns out. Empty your mind of distractions and sense your spiritual energy flowing through your Heavenly Circuit like a trickling stream. For now, one stick of incense will be the limit. You will gradually extend the duration later."

This was meant to intensify his weighted training and deep meditation.

Mo Yuan understood his master's intention. Uncle Nine feared that his rapid progress would leave his state of mind unstable. He nodded firmly. "This disciple understands. I will not disappoint Master's expectations!"

Once he put on the Iron Vest, Mo Yuan immediately felt his body sink. Even raising his arms or moving his legs became difficult.

Yet after circulating his spiritual energy and adapting for a moment, he found that the pressure actually made his blood and qi flow more actively.

After lighting the Soul-Stabilizing Incense, he tried to cast aside distracting thoughts. At this moment, his Primordial Comprehension instead became a "burden," because his mind was too active, with countless thoughts flooding in one after another.

He worked hard to rein in his thoughts, guiding his faint spiritual power inward. Gradually, he entered a profound state of meditation where he forgot both himself and the world.

In that state, his perception of his own spiritual energy became clearer than ever. He could even "see" that wisp of Innate Spiritual Energy resting quietly at the core of his Dantian like a sovereign, radiating a faint yet supreme aura.

"System, check in!" Taking advantage of his special state of deep meditation, Mo Yuan checked in once more.

[Ding! Check-in successful! Congratulations, Host, you have received: Medium-Grade Spirit Stone x5, Basic Formation Diagram x1, Spirit Nurturing Pill (Low Grade) x3, residual aura of the Primordial World: Essence of Earth (Trace Amount)!]

[Essence of Earth (Trace Amount)]: A fragment of the primordial aura of the ancient earth. Refining it can slightly improve earth-element affinity and strengthen the foundation of the physical body.

New rewards! The Essence of Earth in particular, though only a trace amount, perfectly suited his current need to temper his body.

Mo Yuan secretly rejoiced, but he did not refine it immediately. Instead, he continued immersing himself in deep meditation to stabilize his state of mind.

Days passed one after another.

During the day, Mo Yuan wore the Iron Vest as he practiced the Foundation Building Fist Technique, drew talismans, and learned more Basic Incantation Secrets from Uncle Nine. At night, he lit the Soul-Stabilizing Incense and meditated deeply.

He also began studying the Detailed Explanation of Basic Artifact Refining and the Basic Formation Diagram awarded by the system.

With the support of Primordial Comprehension, this difficult knowledge became clear and well-organized in his eyes. He could draw inferences from one example to another, and his speed of understanding was astonishing.

During this time, he also tried cultivating the Lesser Five Elements Spell: Gengjin Sword Qi Secret Arts.

This technique was not simply about shaping qi into a sword. It involved condensing one's spiritual energy, especially metal-element spiritual energy, into invincible sword qi.

In this age of declining spiritual energy, the power of the Five Elements spells had greatly diminished, making them extremely difficult to cultivate. Yet the Gengjin Sword Qi Secret Arts were clearly of no low grade, and they seemed faintly compatible with that wisp of Innate Spiritual Energy.

Mo Yuan did not rush to condense sword qi. Instead, he repeatedly pondered the essence of "sharpness," "condensation," and "driving with intent" within the technique.

At the same time, he turned his attention to the Core of Hundred-Year Lightning Struck Wood he had obtained from checking in.

Lightning Struck Wood contained the righteous, evil-breaking power of heavenly lightning and was a supreme material for crafting dharma swords and talisman brushes.

Combining it with the Detailed Explanation of Basic Artifact Refining, Mo Yuan came up with a bold idea: he would forge his first magical artifact himself—a Lightning Struck Wood sword!

Artifact refining required true fire. Qi Refinement cultivators could not condense pill fire, so they usually had to rely on earth fire or special talismans.

But Mo Yuan took a different path. He tried guiding the wisp of Innate Spiritual Energy inside him. Though exceedingly faint, it was of an extremely high level and could barely draw out a thread of near-origin "spiritual fire" to temper the material.

The process consumed an enormous amount of mental energy and spiritual power. Mo Yuan proceeded carefully, spending three full days using that faint spiritual fire to initially temper the core, remove its impurities, and shape it into a three-inch wooden sword embryo.

The instant the sword embryo took shape, faint arcs of electricity flashed across it, and it emitted a pure yang, righteous aura.

Though it was only the crudest embryo and still far from becoming a true magical artifact, requiring continued nourishment with spiritual energy and the engraving of formations in the future, it was already a crucial first step on Mo Yuan's path of artifact refining.

When Uncle Nine learned of it, he was once again left speechless with shock. He could only attribute it to Mo Yuan's mysterious "fortuitous opportunity" being far too profound.

One day, Uncle Nine received a message from a fellow cultivator in a neighboring town, who seemed to have something important to discuss.

Before leaving, he specifically instructed Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng to guard the funeral home well, especially the suppressed zombie Ren Weiyong. Then he solemnly told Mo Yuan, "

Mo Yuan, you have progressed rapidly, but you still lack real combat experience.

While I am away, if ordinary ghosts cause trouble at the funeral home, you may handle them as practice.

But remember, act within your limits. Do not be reckless when facing a powerful enemy. Protecting the funeral home and ensuring your own safety must come first."

"Rest assured, Master. This disciple knows his limits." Mo Yuan agreed seriously.

After Uncle Nine left, the funeral home seemed to return to its usual calm. Yet Mo Yuan could sense that the oppressive feeling of an approaching storm had not faded.

He continued cultivating diligently during the day. At night, he wore the Iron Vest and meditated deeply with the aid of Soul-Stabilizing Incense, while beginning to refine the Essence of Earth (Trace Amount) and the wisp of Innate Spiritual Energy.

The refining process was more difficult than he had imagined. The Essence of Earth was manageable. Though its energy was pure, its nature was relatively mild. It slowly fused into his muscles, bones, and flesh, making his body feel increasingly steady. His strength also grew, and his perception of earth energy became a little clearer.

But that wisp of Innate Spiritual Energy was like a proud sovereign, extremely difficult to tame.

He could only work at it patiently, using his own spiritual energy to slowly envelop and assimilate it. The progress was slow, but every trace he refined brought a subtle yet profound transformation to the essence of his spiritual energy. It became more condensed and pure, even carrying a hint of the ancient aura of primordial chaos at the dawn of creation.

His cultivation naturally and quietly broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement. His aura became more restrained, but his eyes grew ever deeper and clearer.

That night, the moon was hidden and the wind howled.

Mo Yuan was meditating in his room when he suddenly sensed an extremely subtle yet malicious energy fluctuation coming from the morgue!

It was not coming from the zombie Ren Weiyong, but from... the ordinary coffins temporarily stored there, waiting for burial.

Mo Yuan's eyes flew open, a sharp glint flashing through them. He swiftly rose, grabbed the Lightning Struck Wood sword embryo he had forged and several talismans, then silently made his way toward the morgue.

Through the crack in the door, he saw a horrifying sight: an ordinary corpse was wrapped in dense black qi as it slowly sat up from its coffin.

Ghostly green flames flickered within its eye sockets, and strange "heh-heh" sounds came from its mouth. It had clearly been controlled by some evil technique and turned into a low-level walking corpse.

Behind the walking corpse, in the shadowed corner by the wall, stood the faint outline of a blurry black figure. It seemed to be holding a strange hand seal and chanting softly.

So someone really is causing trouble! Mo Yuan's heart turned cold.

Was this the mastermind his master had worried about? It had actually taken advantage of Uncle Nine's absence to sneak into the funeral home and make mischief.

The black figure seemed to notice Mo Yuan as well. It controlled the walking corpse, which let out a low roar and suddenly lunged toward the door.

At the same time, the black figure rapidly retreated, intending to vanish into the darkness.

"Trying to run?" Mo Yuan snorted. He felt little fear at the moment. Instead, a sense of duty surged within him—to test what he had learned and protect the funeral home. He stopped hiding and kicked the door open.

"Profound Sect of Heaven and Earth, root of all qi, cultivate vast calamities, prove my divine powers! Golden light, appear swiftly and shield the true person! Urgent as the law commands!"

The Golden Light Mantra burst from his lips.

Though his cultivation was still shallow, it combined with his increasingly pure spiritual energy—especially the aura infused with a trace of Innate Spiritual Energy—and immediately formed a faint golden glow around his body, knocking the lunging walking corpse off balance!

Next, Mo Yuan flicked his hand, sending an Evil-Breaking Talisman shooting out to strike the walking corpse squarely on the forehead.

"Poof!" The black qi scattered, and the walking corpse collapsed at once, returning to the appearance of an ordinary corpse.

But during that brief delay, the black figure had nearly reached the window.

How could Mo Yuan let him escape? He stepped through an improved Maoshan footwork technique, moving like lightning as he instantly closed the distance. The crude Lightning Struck Wood sword embryo in his hand thrust straight toward the black figure's back.

The black figure clearly had not expected Mo Yuan to be so fast, and his response was equally swift and ruthless.

He spun around in haste, revealing a deathly pale face beneath his hood. A poisoned dagger appeared in his hand as he raised it to block the wooden sword.

"Clang!"

The sound of metal striking stone rang out. Though the Lightning Struck Wood embryo had no edge, the righteous lightning power it contained traveled through the dagger.

"Argh!"

The black figure screamed. His arm went numb, and the dagger nearly slipped from his grasp. Horror appeared in his eyes. "Pure yang lightning power? Who the hell are you, brat?!"

Mo Yuan did not answer. He twisted the sword embryo and displayed the intent of the Gengjin Sword Qi Secret Arts that he had studied for days, though he still could not release actual sword qi.

Yet his sword moves already carried an indestructible sharpness. Pointing, thrusting, lifting, slashing—every strike targeted the other man's vital points.

The black figure's cultivation did not seem particularly high. He specialized in corpse-controlling evil arts and was no match for Mo Yuan in close combat. Moreover, Mo Yuan's spiritual energy was of exceptionally high quality and naturally restrained evil techniques.

After only a few moves, the black figure was already in grave danger.

"Brat! You ruined my plans—you're courting death!"

The black figure shouted fiercely and suddenly threw out a black sphere. It exploded, releasing thick black smoke with a pungent, fishy stench. It was clearly poisonous.

Mo Yuan had been prepared. He held his breath and rapidly retreated, while throwing out a Clear Wind Talisman that stirred the air and blew the poisonous smoke away.

Once the smoke dispersed, the window stood wide open. The black figure had vanished, leaving only a puddle of dark red blood and a trace of lingering evil qi.

Mo Yuan did not recklessly pursue him. He understood the principle of not chasing a desperate foe.

He walked to the window and stared into the pitch-black night, his brows tightly furrowed.

"A corpse-controlling evil cultivator... was he really here to reactivate the zombie Ren Weiyong? Master's concerns have come true."

He tightened his grip around the Lightning Struck Wood sword embryo, feeling the faint lightning power within it. His heart, however, was filled with fighting spirit.