A New Path

Li Fan was also surprised that on the first day they were just bickering, but on the second day seven or eight groups of people actually came up to him and ask for his advice.

What about Wang Hu and Zhao Bao, the Diancang Seven Sons, the Four Friends of Mei Mountain, the Five Immortals of Qingcheng, the Six Eccentrics of Huangshan, and the Eight Heroes of Dongzhou Li Fan really did literally beat up the Xuanmen Nursing Home this time, driving away dozens of old men blocking his way before he could finish his street parade in peace.

Although it looked intense, there was actually no bloodshed. After all, since the great battle of the Luo Sect, the destruction of the Sword Sect, and the establishment of Yuntai Peak, the Xuanmen (Daoist sects) have become much more reasonable. At least among fellow disciples, sparring in public is usually limited to a few moves and rarely results in fatalities.

These deities had indeed come to learn from the Tai Su Dao arts, each showcasing their skills, and Li Fan gained much from it. Clearly, the trend of stealing techniques within the Xuanmen (mysterious sects) had shifted from the Heavenly Books of the Divine Sect to those of the Luo Sect. The techniques used by these dozens of old men included some from the Luo Sect's lineage, and others from the Black Lotus Sect and other Daoist patriarchs, but overall, they all originated from the Tai Su Dao. It seems this wasn't just one or two schools, but rather a widespread understanding within the entire Xuanmen that the Tai Chi Dao was unworkable.

Of course, outsiders wouldn't know the rules of the Xuanmen (mystical sect). In the eyes of the Immortal Palace, it was simply, 'Wow, this bumpkin from the south who suddenly appeared out of this remote mountain village is incredibly powerful! So many renowned deities and sect leaders from the Central Plains couldn't subdue him??'

So the next evening, just as Li Fan returned to the villa, a palace eunuch came to deliver an imperial decree. Just as Zhang Rang had said, the Ziwei Yuan wanted to summon him to an audience with the emperor, and that he would be promoted one rank for his tribute mission, from Guan Nei Hou to Marquis of Che.

The title of Marquis was below that of a prince or duke, and it was divided into three ranks: county marquis, township marquis, and pavilion marquis. There were also capital township marquises and capital pavilion marquises, which meant that the townships on the outskirts of the city were called capital townships, and the pavilions in the city were called capital pavilions. This was equivalent to being enfeoffed in a large urban area.

Li Fan was promoted one rank from Guan Nei Hou to Ting Marquis, the lowest rank among the Che Marquises. Originally, Li Fan wanted to decline, but after hearing from the eunuch that he was to be granted the title of 'Mo Hou', which would probably include Mount Mo, he thought it would be more convenient to have a title, so he accepted.

That way, we won't have to arm wrestle with the old men of the Xuanmen sect tomorrow. The pilgrimage route will be changed from parading through the Heavenly Market to going straight to Taiwei Palace via the Jingji Avenue, then taking a carriage to Shangyunxiao and ascending to Ziwei Hall to enter the palace.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was tasked with instructing Li Fan on the proper procedures and etiquette for entering the palace to meet the emperor, preparing in advance to prevent this outsider from uttering vulgarities and offending the emperor.

Li Fan was speechless. He thought to himself, "Damn it," but he was just talking to the dead occasionally. He was usually very polite.

In short, there was no time to go out for banquets or have fun in the evenings, so I began to tediously learn various rules and regulations from the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial, and wear different court robes. The attendants and entourage entering the palace also changed into a whole new set from head to toe.

Incidentally, Li Fan's Divine Sense swept over the area and he discovered that Zhang Rang had slipped into the villa with the eunuchs delivering the imperial decree, and then the Marquis of Wansui, the Commander of the Central Guard, led the imperial guards to the villa to guard it, preventing anyone from taking the opportunity to infiltrate Li Fan's tribute team. They completely denied Li Fan and the princes and nobles of the Xinling Gong any chance to make contact. They were indeed quite meticulous in their actions.

If Zhang Rang hadn't been so skilled at infiltration, he probably wouldn't have had the chance to enter and leave the Zǐwēigōng to make contact.

Li Fan pretended not to know anything, too lazy to get involved in the scheming and struggle between the two sides. He followed the Dahonglu to learn how to walk while also disciplining Qin Jiu.

On the first day, Qin Jiu was beaten so badly he took a bath with his skin torn and bleeding. On the second day, he was also beaten so badly he took a medicinal bath, his body soaked in the herbs and smelling of medicinal herbs. However, the kid has made some progress. Yesterday, he was completely exhausted and in shock while taking a bath, but today he was able to maintain consciousness and listen to Li Fan explain the cultivation method while soaking.

"The Blood Refining Technique I am passing on to you is a modified version of the divine technique in the Blood Record Heavenly Book of the Divine Sect. Although this technique is not the fastest in terms of Qi Refinement Stage and its body refinement is slightly inferior to the Ink Mountain Fist, it can change tendons and marrow, and reshape the body for rebirth."

Moreover, the Blood Refining Dao Breath cultivated through this technique can not only be used to cast spells like Tai Chi Dao Breath, but if Divine Sense is strong, one can also use the spirit to control the blood and use it as a weapon to ambush and kill enemies. Its potential is limitless and its mysteries are extremely profound.

"By following the meridian circulation you learned during the day, absorbing the medicinal power and stimulating the acupoints, you can take advantage of this opportunity to complete your cultivation. When you can raise your innate talent to the third rank, you can then prepare for Foundation Establishment. Continue to refine and hone your skills, and each time you are seriously injured and need to rebuild, refine your Dao body in the same way. I believe that achieving the first rank innate talent will be just around the corner."

Qin Jiu, "... Yuan Gong, I'm a disciple of the Xuanmen sect! What if someone finds out you're teaching me the Divine Sect's Cultivation Method? Aren't you just messing with me?"

Li Fan rolled his eyes. "Tsk, you don't know how lucky you are. Why don't you just not use your Blood Breath in public? Do you even know that this function can improve one's Dao Body aptitude? This is a divine skill that so many people would kill for!"

And with your pathetic skills and dull-witted understanding, you can't even dodge a single sword strike? You dare call yourself a disciple of the Xuanmen sect? Don't make people laugh their heads off!

Qin Jiu complained, "I'm in the Qi Refining Stage, how could I possibly dodge it..."

"Hmph, so what if Qi Refining Stage? Which of those notorious bandits didn't cultivate half a piece of trashy Cultivation Method, refine a mouthful of turbid Qi, and then fly over rooftops and roam the world?"

Sword speed only experiences a qualitative leap after reaching the Nascent Soul Stage. Even at the Qi Refining Stage, with skillful execution, there are precedents of even defeating Golden Core Stage cultivator. Do you understand?

Qin Jiu, "... That's too exaggerated! What kind of superhuman can kill Golden Core cultivator while only having Qi cultivation?!"

Li Fan raised his head and said, "You're ignorant. The world is full of wonders. I won't force you to fight someone in the Golden Core realm. There's a band of thugs hiding in the ravine across the way. They're only about a hundred people, and they're all scum with lives on their hands. The leaders are just three or five Foundation Establishment Perfection soldiers."

These scum are just there for you to practice on. I'll teach you for three days, and the day after tomorrow you'll go and kill them all. After you pass this little quiz, I'll teach you the rest of the techniques."

Qin Jiu's eyes popped out of their sockets. "W-what?! A little test is killing people and suppressing bandits? And I have to kill over a hundred people??? I can't even beat the fish in the Li River! You might as well just kill me already..."

Li Fan chuckled at him, "Don't panic, I'll teach you four or five moves tomorrow, that'll be enough. If you can't beat them, just run away. I'm not asking you to kill them all at once, you can do it over several days."

Qin Jiu, "... Thank you for being so understanding."

Li Fan wanted to scold the slippery kid a bit more, but suddenly an idea struck him. He did some quick calculations with his fingers, exclaimed "Eh?", and then stared at Qin Jiu without saying a word.

Qin Jiu was terrified by his gaze. "Yuan Gong, what do you want now? Can you please stop messing with me?"

Li Fan smiled at him without saying a word.

Qin Jiu waited for a while, then suddenly heard a rustling sound. He turned his head and saw a woman in a silk dress walking out of the forest. She looked at the boy who was being bathed in the Spiritual Spring of medicinal herbs and elixirs, and drool dripped down her face, soaking her open bodice.

"Oh my, I was wondering where that wonderful smell was coming from; it turns out there's a little fairy boy here."

Qin Jiu turned to look at the 'Yuan Gong' beside him, who grinned and mouthed the word 'fairy'.

"Who wouldn't see that this is a demon in this desolate wilderness! Didn't you say the quiz was about bandit suppression? This isn't what you said! Help! Monster!"

Qin Jiu really wanted to just faint.

"Hehehe, little fairy, don't try to scare me. My nose is very sensitive, and there's not a single living person around. Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come to save you~~ Don't be afraid, let me absorb your essence first, and I'll be gentle~~"

Then the woman unbuttoned her clothes and entered the medicinal pool. Her eyes emitted a green light, and a fishy, demonic wind blew from her mouth and nose, illuminating Qin Jiu's face as she swam towards him.

Li Fan watched the show with great interest from the sidelines.

Qin Jiu was so overwhelmed by the stench that he almost vomited. Seeing the monster still trembling and clinging to him, and the stinky monkey beside it ignoring him, he was nearly driven mad. In that instant, the anger he'd been simmering for two days finally erupted, his blood boiling, and he roared in fury...

"You weasel in human skin! You blind Yellow Weasel! Use your brain! Do you think you can afford to offend a disciple of the Xuanmen sect like me?! How dare you covet my essence! When my master returns, I won't rest until I've skinned you alive, crushed your bones to dust, and wiped out your entire family! Now get the hell out of here!"

The Yellow Weasel was taken aback. "You, a mere child who hasn't even entered the Dao, can actually resist my illusions and see through my true form?"

Qin Jiu roared, "You think I'm a fake Xuanmen disciple? You think you can fool me with this paltry skill? Bah! This is my last warning! My master is watching right here! Don't regret it if you get beaten to a pulp! Now get lost!"

The Yellow Weasel hesitated for a moment, vaguely sensing that the spiritual energy in this Spiritual Spring was extremely abundant and pure, unlike the methods of ordinary cultivators. It was possible that this celestial child truly had someone behind him. However, such demonic creatures loved to devour the hearts and livers of children; with such delicacies before him, and already ravenously hungry, how could he possibly give up?

A beast is a beast after all. Although he knew that the boy in front of him was not to be trifled with, he still could not suppress his appetite. Suddenly, he jumped up from the Spiritual Spring, revealing his fangs and claws, his body covered in yellow fur. He plucked a claw straight at Qin Jiu's chest, intending to rip out his heart and liver and then escape.

"Aaaaaah--!"

At the critical moment, Qin Jiu roared loudly, using his blood-refining Dao energy to open up the Qi Dao Breath throughout his body, and rolled away to escape the Yellow Weasel's claws. However, this Yellow Weasel had already cultivated its inner core, wore human skin, and could speak, making it comparable to a monster at the Golden Core stage. In mid-air, it swept its claws horizontally, directly knocking Qin Jiu out of the Spiritual Spring, breaking seven or eight ribs, and causing him to collapse to the ground, seemingly knocked unconscious.

"Hehehe, you think you can still run away? I love eating people like you. Even when you're about to die, you can still put up a fight. It's so satisfying to chew your bones and muscles. If you're crying and wailing, it's not good, and your flesh will become sour. Hehehehehehe!"

The Yellow Weasel monster's face was already distorted, losing its human form. It crawled over on all fours, drooling all over the boy's face. It sniffed Qin Jiu carefully, then bit down on his neck.

Just as the teeth were about to tear open Qin Jiu's neck, the Yellow Weasel suddenly froze, as if locked by some kind of air wall, unable to move at all. It was as if an invisible sword was pressing against all the acupoints in its body, sealing its Inner Landscape Divine Court. Not to mention demonic magic and illusions, it had even lost control of its muscles and nerves.

Every cell in my body was gripped by fear, so fearful that I couldn't move.

Almost simultaneously, Qin Jiu, who was pretending to be unconscious, roared, rolled over, grabbed the Yellow Weasel's jaw with his left hand, and picked up a sharp stone from under him with his right hand. He gripped it tightly in his hand, cutting his palm open. The blood flowing from his hand clung to the stone's tip, as if it were coated with a blood blade, like a sharp knife in his hand. He then aimed it at the Yellow Weasel's eyeballs and smashed them with all his might!

The blood-red sharp stone struck the Yellow Weasel, carving its way into its eye socket, causing blood to splatter, the eyeball to burst, and flesh to spill out.

Qin Jiu kept smashing and smashing, until the monster revealed its true form and collapsed heavily in his arms. He didn't stop, just kept smashing and smashing for a full incense stick's time. He hollowed out half of the Yellow Weasel's skull, smashing it until it was a bloody mess. Qin Jiu was exhausted, unable to even feel his right hand or lift it. Only then did he stop, looking at the sky, panting heavily, his face covered in blood, his nose and mouth filled with the smell of rust.

Li Fan, who had been watching from the sidelines, walked over to Qin Jiu with his hands behind his back and looked down at him.

"Actually, you could have waited until she was draining your essence before launching a sneak attack, striking from the inside out, which would have been twice as effective. But knowing how to play dead isn't bad either; when you're weak, you have to be ruthless to survive. Well done."

Qin Jiu couldn't be bothered to even acknowledge this bastard.

Li Fan didn't mind and continued.

"This beast's lair is ten miles to the south, and there are some herbs and Spirit Stones she collected inside. There are also the remains of hundreds of children in the cave. By the way, they were actually the children of nearby villagers, just like you."

Some were stolen by this beast through magic, some were robbed by bandits in the mountains, taken as a favor, offered to her just for a night's loot. Alas, it's so hard for a child to survive in this world; such things happen Fourth Department. Now you know why you're the ninth child?

"Find some belongings as evidence, take them to the nearby county, and ask the children's parents to come and collect their bodies. By the way, there's a reward in the county for exorcising demons; consider that your first pot of gold for cultivating immortality."

Qin Jiu was stunned, his eyes flickered, and he looked at Li Fan.

Li Fan gazed at the stars in the sky and sighed.

"Xiao Jiu, people are not born equal."

Those with exceptional talent and privileged family backgrounds are born with more blessings from heaven than ordinary people. Once they enter a sect, receive the protection of their masters, and embark on the path of cultivation, the gap between immortals and mortals will only widen, becoming as vast as the difference between heaven and earth, and will never be able to be reached again.

"I've only taught you for two days, and you're already able to earn a chance to survive when facing demons through your own efforts. But most ordinary people can only wait to be slaughtered and become food for demons."

Li Fan lowered his head and looked at Qin Jiu.

"Protecting the weak is the duty of the strong. If someone ever asks you for help, don't forget that one day you also hoped in your heart that someone would come to your rescue."

Qin Jiu pursed her lips and nodded.

Li Fan smiled, flicked his sleeve, and swept Qin Jiu and the Yellow Weasel monster's corpses into the Spiritual Spring. He snapped his fingers, causing the monster's body to explode into a cloud of blood foam, turning the Spiritual Spring into a pool of blood.

"Alright, enough of the lecturing. After all, she's a demon that has become a spirit. Don't waste her essence and flesh. Quickly use your Blood Refining Technique to convert and absorb it. Tomorrow's lessons will be very demanding on your essence and flesh."

Qin Jiu: "... Yes, disciple understands."

Li Fan wasn't sure how much of what the kid would take to heart, but it was rare to have a disciple who could actually learn the <Dao Breath Blood Refining>. Regardless of whether this guy became a righteous cultivator or a demon in the future, Li Fan planned to teach him the skills.

After all, this <Blood Refining Technique> is actually Blood Record Heavenly Book that Li Fan has specially deduced and researched based on various supreme techniques such as <Blood Demon Great Path Body> and <Blood God Child Great Law> in the Blood Scroll Heavenly Book of the Divine Sect, combined with Xuan Tian's own understanding and research, referring to the Tai Su Heaven, and considering that it can also be cultivated in the other world on the other side of the 'gate'. Li Fan to call it <<Organism Self-Evolution Divine Technique>>.

So far, besides Li Fan himself, only Qin Jiu, the reincarnation of the Blood Infant, can learn this technique, so it's definitely necessary to pass it on to him. After all, it's the only experimental data available.

Although he didn't know if the Blood Infant possessed a human heart, nor could he predict what form Qin Jiu would eventually evolve into, it was still a glimmer of hope, a path forward. He hoped Qin Jiu could lend him a hand and pave a way through.