Primer

Hiss—just hiss—take a sharp breath, will you!

Li Fan was fucking shocked!

So shocked he did not even have time to complain about the system kicking him while he was down!

No, I was sincerely seeking the Dao, just trying to cultivate a proper fruition. Yet you demons and monsters were actually coveting my pure, innocent body!? Is there still any justice? Any law!? Pah! Disgusting!

Real Person Wanshu merely assumed the little boy had been scared witless and comforted him softly. "Qingyue, there is no need to worry. You must know that cultivation is fundamentally an act of defying Heaven and changing one's fate, taking from what is lacking to replenish what has surplus. It goes against the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, the path of cultivation has always been plagued by unceasing tribulations and endless calamities.

Back when the Postnatal Immortal Dao prevailed in the cultivation world, were there not the Heaven-Earth-Human Killing Calamity and the Earth-Water-Fire-Wind Calamity? Even among cultivators, there was the Dark-Demon Debate and the distinction between righteous and evil. They merely found grand names and just causes to slaughter one another. In truth, they fought endlessly only to seize Grotto-Heaven Blessed Lands, cultivation materials, companions, and territory.

Only later, when the False Moon hung in the sky and our generation obtained the Innate Great Dao, did things improve somewhat.

This was because Dao children born between Heaven and Earth with spiritual roots could all worship the moon and seek the Dao. By some twist of fate, even ordinary mortal bodies that encountered Non-Things could gain some sense of them.

Yet the more one had failed to sever the Three Corpses, the more karmic debts they carried, the more crooked their hearts were, the more easily they would secretly form a Devil Embryo upon hearing the Great Dao. The higher their cultivation rose, the more likely they were to stray onto the wrong path and transform into Devil Forms that were Things yet not Things.

Once these Devil Forms strayed from the path, there was no turning back. They too had to consume people to cultivate. Such sinful creatures, evil rather than righteous, need not be pitied when slain. On the contrary, our generation can harvest cultivation resources from these Devil Embryos. Those transformed into Things can be refined into magical treasures. Those transformed into Non-Things can be used to fill one's belly.

Bamboo Mountain, for instance, was once merely a barbaric gathering of wandering cultivators, heterodox sects, and unorthodox paths. Yet now, through the opportunity to comprehend the Great Dao, it has become a great sect capable of suppressing an entire region. Merely the major cultivators who fall into demonhood in daily life—killing two of them is enough to supply an entire sect's cultivation needs. Let alone those famous grand sects in the Central Land with their countless disciples.

Thus, in today's cultivation world, the slaughter seen in the past, when sects and schools fought over Daoist Traditions and casually exterminated entire families, has become far less common. Various sects often send their disciples to travel the world and eliminate strange Things and Devil Forms scattered throughout the Human Dao. That is also acting on Heaven's behalf. Is that not wonderful?

So, Qingyue, as long as you hold fast to your Dao heart and remember your human form, with Bamboo Mountain's protection, your cultivation will naturally proceed smoothly. There is no need to worry about anything else."

No, with that yandere face of yours glaring at me, I really do not find that very convincing!

And could you wipe your saliva while you are talking? You are spraying it all over my face!

Li Fan's mood increased slightly by 1 point.

System, fuck off to the side!

"Ahem, Fairy Wangshu, I understand. Then how about teaching me a few spells first? Something like riding a sword through the sky. If I run into some Thing or Non-Thing I cannot beat, at least I can escape."

Li Fan forced a smile, having already made up his mind. The moment he learned to fly, he would find an opportunity to flee this Devil's Lair infested with demons and monsters.

"Hehe, you have not even refined a single breath of True Breath, and you are already thinking about flying?" Perhaps because he had called her Fairy, Wangshu let out a delighted laugh. She rose and extended her lotus-root-like Jade Feet before Li Fan. "All right, all right, look how anxious you are. I will take you to choose a cultivation method for Qi Refinement Stage and Foundation Establishment right now. Hold onto my leg and do not fall."

Li Fan's mood increased greatly by 1 point.

Hey, system, did you hear that!? She told me to hug her thigh, all right!?

Li Fan did not stand on ceremony. He stuffed the tear given by the mountain master into his pocket and reached out to hug Real Person Wanshu's lower leg.

Sigh, although I knew this was a beautiful skeleton, this skeleton was really soft, fragrant, and smooth... Ah, no, I cannot take this...

Li Fan's mood increased greatly by 1 point.

Li Fan's mood increased greatly by 1 point.

Wangshu smiled faintly as well. Her hands flew through seals. With a lift of her left hand, she put away the white crane beneath her, turning it into a Jade Hairpin carved with a crane's head and tucking it into her hair. Then she pointed forward with her right hand. A golden bracelet strung around her right wrist began to tremble and leap like a hula hoop, spinning larger and larger until the golden ring encircled them both at its center.

Then Li Fan had no time to admire the pale, gleaming legs before him. He only saw the scenery around them—misty clouds, rosy vapors, and colored clouds—racing rapidly backward. They were clearly much faster than when they had ridden the crane, yet there was no fierce wind in their faces. In an instant, they passed through immortal mountains and flying towers like a streak of light. It resembled the mountain master's sword flight earlier. This was probably what they called flying on a magical artifact.

Hmm... To be honest, he had always thought flying swords were ridden under one's feet like skateboards...

They landed in a large courtyard in the blink of an eye. Seeing that there were quite a few people in the yard and mindful of appearances, Li Fan reluctantly released the thigh.

Li Fan's mood decreased slightly by 1 point.

Li Fan rolled his eyes and could not be bothered to argue with the system. Looking into the courtyard, he saw a three-legged cauldron in the center of the outer yard, each side two zhang long. It was decorated with flying cranes, green toads, dragon patterns, and rhinoceros heads, its open mouths exhaling wisps of curling green smoke.

Around the pill cauldron, three rings of cushions were arranged, with four, eight, and sixteen cushions respectively. Several young cultivators sat cross-legged on them, cultivating. Judging by their builds, they were probably not much older than Li Fan's current body. They all wore fur coats and short coarse garments tied with hemp rope, with straw sandals on their feet. Their clothing was quite plain.

Yet every one of them had tender skin and powdered faces. Golden-threaded brocade pouches hung from the hemp ropes at their waists, while gold and jade adorned their hands, wrists, and necks in abundance. They looked utterly mismatched, like guys hawking goods in a livestream...

"Cultivating in a Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land allows one to advance a thousand miles in a single day compared to the Human Dao. These are descendants of imperial clans, noble houses, and Aristocratic Families from beyond the mountain, sent here for Qi Refinement Stage and Foundation Establishment.

Those with suitable Dao hearts may remain in the Inner Sect to serve. In truth, most are simply taught a few postnatal immortal arts, given a nominal place in the Outer Sect, and sent away. They did not come seeking the Great Dao. They only wished to borrow Bamboo Mountain's name for protection and pursue a lifetime of worldly wealth and status."

Seeing Li Fan's interest, Real Person Wanshu casually explained, though she did not even glance at these ant-like mortal bodies. Holding Li Fan's hand, she led him toward the inner courtyard.

Meanwhile, the sons of kings and high ministers all bowed to the ground, not daring to lift their eyes and steal a glance at the peerless Fairy's legs.

Looking at those young nobles, who did not even dare breathe and knelt on the ground as though worshipping a god, Li Fan gained a glimpse of the gulf in strength between this cultivation world and the Human Dao and fell into thought.

It seemed the gap between immortals and mortals was immense. But that made sense. The two Golden Core Stage monsters he had seen before were, in the eyes of immortals, merely ordinary snacks to be slain and eaten with wine. Yet in mortal eyes, they were probably like King Kong fighting Godzilla.

Li Fan's mood decreased by 1 point.

Huh? What now?

The system's sudden prompt brought Li Fan back to his senses. Only then did he realize that Real Person Wanshu had led him to a library in the inner courtyard. A sword floated in the air outside the library door. Its blade looked polished like a bright mirror, and the reflected Sword Light flickered across Li Fan's face.

Real Person Wanshu looked at Li Fan, released his hand, and said,

"The Heavenly Scriptures passed down by the Dao Ancestor require at least the Golden Core Stage to cultivate. Go into the Scripture Pavilion and choose any two Dao arts you like."

Li Fan was about to enter when he instinctively asked, "Does Fairy have any recommendations?"

Real Person Wanshu smiled. "The Postnatal Immortal Dao has been endlessly developed, yet it never escapes Yin-Yang Two Principles, Five Elements Escape Method, and Celestial Star Calculations. There is truly nothing profound about it, and cultivation methods for entry and Foundation Establishment are even less worth mentioning. In the past, sect resources were limited, and the Dao arts available for disciples were limited as well, so people had to choose carefully. There is no such concern now.

Since you have met the Dao Ancestor, Qingyue, you can probably cultivate any sort of art. But remember that greedily learning too much leaves one unable to digest it. Learning too many miscellaneous tricks is of no use at all and will only lead you astray. So it is enough to casually take one method for Qi Refinement Stage and Foundation Establishment, and one for Fiend Refinement and Core Forging.

When your Golden Core is complete and you shed your mortal body, I will personally teach you innate Dao arts and guide you in the methods and secrets of condensing a Divine Nascent Soul."

Choose casually?

Seeing that Li Fan was still somewhat hesitant, looking like someone afflicted with indecision, Real Person Wanshu did not urge him. She swallowed and said, "Hehe, if you insist on planning your future cultivation path now, that is not impossible either.

Since you have seen the Void Star, the mountain master has probably taught you the true names of the Tai Su Six Ancestors.

But in truth, the Tai Su Dao Ancestor did not have only six ancestors, nor did all six leave Dao arts behind. Many times, merely passing down a name was enough to allow someone to comprehend the Dao. It was simply that the Six Ancestors were the most famous.

Yet this world does possess Daoist Traditions directly passed down by the Dao Ancestor. Of those, the most widespread are the paths of Youquan and Yellow Heaven, and both have Heavenly Scriptures written by great Dao Integration experts.

If Qingyue intends to contend for the Tai Su Heavenly Scripture in the future, you may begin paying attention now to Dao arts whose titles contain the words 'Dark Underworld' or 'Purple Radiance.' It is said that using these as a foundation to cultivate the Great Daos of Youquan and Yellow Heaven respectively will yield twice the result with half the effort."

"Dark Underworld, Purple Radiance. Thank you for the guidance, Fairy. Qingyue will remember."

Li Fan nodded. Looking at Real Person Wanshu drooling at him, he secretly resolved to avoid these two wrong choices perfectly.

Thus, Li Fan sidestepped the treasured sword floating before the door, pushed the door open, and entered the Scripture Pavilion.

The first thing that met his eyes was a shrine in the front hall. Yet the shrine did not enshrine some bizarre demon lord. Instead, it held two large characters painted in black ink on white paper.

One read "Heaven."

One read "Ghost."

What the hell... What kind of ghost was this?

Li Fan hesitated as he looked at the cushion on the floor. Worshipping Heaven and Earth would have been one thing, but what the hell was Heavenly Ghost...

Li Fan's mood increased greatly by 1 point.

What? My mood actually increased? Fine, if the system said so, then he would worship it. Whatever it was, worshipping it had to be auspicious.

So Li Fan copied the other cultivators, muttering, "No offense, no offense," and bowed in salute.

Behind him, when Real Person Wanshu saw him pass the Black Sword and worship "Heavenly Ghost," she actually put away the terrifying expression on her face and nodded slowly with a gentle look. Soft light flowed in her eyes. She was no longer looking at a "Non-Thing," but at a "person."

Of course, Li Fan did not notice any of this. He went around to the rear hall and saw another strange sight.

Well, perhaps "strange" was too strong a word. It did not deserve that much. At most, it was merely odd.

Before him stood rows upon rows of bookshelves, piled with bundles of bamboo slips. The slips were all ink-black and seemed to be made from Bamboo Mountain's ink bamboo. Well, they really were ancient Dao arts. Did they not even have paper yet...

Of course, the bamboo slips were not the strange part. The strange part was the people selecting Dao arts.

Li Fan could see those Outer Sect Disciples in fur coats and coarse garments cautiously and slowly reaching for bamboo slips on the shelves. Yet during the process, some would suddenly catch fire, some would freeze into ice, some would turn into wood, some would stiffen into clay statues, and the most unfortunate would have their reaching hands chopped to pieces by invisible blades until only the bones of an arm remained.

Judging from the expressions on those disciples' faces, they clearly felt it all. They looked as though they were wearing masks of agony, enduring pain so unbearable that their facial muscles spasmed and lost control.

Yet when they truly could not bear it any longer and withdrew their hands, giving up, the wounds on their bodies immediately returned to normal, as though it had all been a simple illusion.

But once an attempt failed, although their bodies recovered, their minds had clearly suffered a devastating blow. Each Outer Sect Disciple turned deathly pale and sweated profusely as if stricken by a serious illness. They definitely could not make a second attempt in the short term and could only leave the Scripture Pavilion in regret.

After observing from the side, Li Fan somewhat understood. This was likely some kind of spell designed by Bamboo Mountain to test and select disciples. Even if these demons and monsters now sought the Great Dao and looked down on postnatal immortal arts, these were still genuine immortal arts. They probably could not be handed out casually.

Li Fan clasped his hands behind his back and circled the shelves twice. Looking at the labels beneath the bamboo slips and inferring from the suffering endured by the fur-clad disciples nearby, he more or less figured it out.

There was only one truth!

Actually, it was quite simple. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—the Five Elements Escape Method—in this cultivation world corresponded respectively to the names Divine Hardness, Purple Radiance, Dark Underworld, Crimson Fiend, and Return to Dust. Basically, Dao arts had these two characters in their names to indicate the attribute of the cultivation method. For example, some Dark Underworld Qi-Gathering Art would be a water-attribute Foundation Establishment cultivation method. Some Crimson Fiend Divine Core Art would be a fire-attribute Golden Core cultivation method.

Of course, the Five Elements Escape Method was the foundation of all foundations and occupied most of the cultivation methods in the Scripture Pavilion. They were truly varied and numerous, often paired with prefixes like yin-yang, heaven-earth, Northern Dipper, or conjunction to make them sound lofty and impressive. But after examining the long strings of names carefully, ah, they were just methods for breathing and cultivating qi...

It seemed that perverted Fairy Wangshu had not deceived him. For beginner cultivation methods, he could just choose any one...

Then Li Fan's right hand shot out and grabbed a bamboo slip that a disciple in brown robes had just taken down from the shelf.

The other party stared at Li Fan with a baffled expression.

Li Fan stared at his right hand with an equally baffled expression.

The Outer Sect Disciple tugged at the bamboo slip in his hand, but could not pull it free. He snapped at Li Fan, "Hey, what are you doing!? This prince got it first!"

Li Fan broke into a cold sweat. "This... this... Let go!"

"How dare you! No one has ever snatched anything from this prince!" This little fatso was probably not suffering from chuuni syndrome. He was likely the genuine article, some prince by birth, and he flew into a rage.

Then Li Fan's right hand went "whoosh," snatched the bamboo slip away, stuffed it into Li Fan's arms, and swung out with a "smack," slapping the little fat prince so hard he spun in place. The flesh on his cheeks quivered.

Both the prince and Li Fan were dumbfounded.

"Uh, no, well, there may have been some misunderstanding between you and my hand..."

"Mas—ter—!"

The prince covered his face and stared at Li Fan for a while before turning around, shouting, and running away.

Li Fan stood there with his mouth hanging open for quite some time before turning to look at his right hand. "What are you doing, system!?"

Profound Heaven Sword Intent actively recommended a Foundation Establishment cultivation method to the host.

The system immediately appeared to state that it would not take the blame for this.

Then Li Fan saw his right hand sweep toward several shelves of Five Elements Escape Methods and raise its index finger, wagging it.

Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicated that those would not do.

Then the finger pointed at the bamboo slip in his arms and gave a thumbs-up.

Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicated that this one was good.

I fucking understand that!

For a moment, Li Fan did not even know how to complain. He could only lower his head and look at the bamboo slip his right hand had stolen.

Basic Sword Qi Primer