If cultivation merely transformed the mortal body, turning it into the body of a Demonic Immortal God, Ge Xian wouldn't have resisted too much.
But judging from the examples he'd seen tonight, what had changed was clearly their very essence.
"Alas, I don't want to reach a day when I have to live on human flesh and blood, with my temperament twisted along with it."
"I wonder if every Cultivation Path in the world is like this. Surely not. There ought to be proper Qi Refiners..."
With a sigh, Ge Xian carried his peddler's pole home.
Just as he was feeling utterly despondent, a light suddenly came on inside his house. Then the wooden door creaked open a little, revealing a bright, clean, and tidy room beneath the flickering glow of an oil lamp. It looked utterly different from the place he'd left.
In the corner stood a pretty young woman, looking over at him expectantly. Clearly, she was waiting for her master, Ge Xian, to praise her.
At first, Ge Xian really wasn't in the mood.
But the moment he saw the Broom Spirit—in other words, Sister Bai—a spark of inspiration exploded in his mind.
Then, an excited thought burst forth:
"That's right! Who says I don't have another path to take?"
"Before I woke up, apart from Supernatural Perception, I didn't have the slightest trace of supernatural power. I was practically no different from a frail commoner."
"And tonight, didn't I use three kinds of supernatural power—Call Wind Summon Rain, Skin-Painting, and Bewitchment—to get all these benefits from the Beggar Sect's Five-Bag Elder, Hong Buyi?"
"My second talent is Cai Bu. After successfully bewitching someone, I can absorb supernatural power into my body—and not just one kind. I don't even have anything like an 'incompatibility reaction.' Even if these are all temporary abilities, doesn't that still count as a path?"
At this thought, Ge Xian grew excited again.
All his knowledge of cultivation came from the Beggar Sect Evil Cultivator Hong Buyi, so it couldn't be considered especially authoritative.
But that old mad dog had lived for so many years. Surely, there weren't any major errors in what he knew.
From his memories, Ge Xian knew that:
All cultivators, no matter which lineage they came from—be it the Myriad Laws Sect, the Eternal Life Cult, the bloodline Holy Lands, or the countless unorthodox paths at the very bottom—without exception had to overcome the "incompatibility" hurdle. Those who failed couldn't enter the Dao or wield supernatural power in their mortal bodies.
But tonight, there was clearly an exception.
Ge Xian realized at once that his talent might not be utterly unique, but it was certainly a rare phenomenon that defied common sense.
Among the many talents Hong Buyi knew of, there was nothing this bizarre.
"The original owner probably didn't have it either. He should've only had Bewitchment. Perhaps this reverse Cai Bu ability came from me?"
"But there's still plenty I need to confirm. For example, does my [Charm and Cultivate] only work on female spirits and monsters, or can it work on all things?"
"The original owner was lecherous and only collected strange objects like Bamboo Ladies and Lady Paintings. He never had any other oddities to use as a comparison."
"Also, are all the supernatural powers I absorb only stored in my body temporarily?"
"Can I use those powers to cultivate...?"
As thought after thought welled up, Ge Xian could no longer hold back.
He put down the Peddler's Pole and slammed the door shut.
Then, under Sister Bai's frightened gaze, the man strode forward without the slightest hesitation, grabbed her, and dragged her toward the bed.
It couldn't be helped. There wasn't even a table in his humble room.
Fortunately, Ge Xian soon let go. In those brief few seconds, he'd already completed the first test of his talent:
"Before I activate Bewitchment and succeed, I can't absorb the [supernatural power] inside someone else's body."
Clearly, he'd grabbed the Broom Spirit and tried to absorb power directly from her body, but it hadn't worked.
At that moment, he hadn't gained spells like "Pure Spell" or "Li Chen Spell," nor did he feel any strong urge to sweep the room or clean himself, despite being filthy from head to toe.
Having gotten the first test out of the way, Ge Xian naturally wanted to continue. Ignoring the pretty young woman's aggrieved expression, he sent her back to her Soul Residence and forbade her from coming out again that night.
Once he'd settled everything and confirmed he was safe,
Ge Xian sat cross-legged on the clean bed and laid out his gains from the night. There were five items in all.
They were a foul-smelling Strange Stone covered in bumps, a Green Bamboo Staff marked with teeth, a palm-sized Golden Scale, and two thin Human Skin Books.
All five objects had considerable origins.
The Strange Stone was called the [Dog Treasure]. It had formed inside a Demon Dog secretly raised by the Beggar Sect. It stank horribly, but contained quite pure Demon Dog Power. With the corresponding Evil Skill of the Beggar Sect, anyone could advance to the "Dao Entry Realm" by swallowing it. Hong Buyi had worn it to suppress the signs of Demonic Transformation; otherwise, he could have turned into a Demon Dog and gone on a rampage at any moment.
The Green Bamboo Staff was called the [Dog Beating Staff]. It was a weapon exclusive to the Beggar Sect, and took immense effort to forge. First, one had to find ninety-nine "Mad Dogs" in wild graveyards that had eaten human flesh. Then, their blood essence had to be drained using the finest Junshan Bamboo. Only then could a staff be made. It could only be issued to elders of Five-Bag rank or higher.
The scale was the most precious item. It came from a Dragon-kin Demonic Creature with a considerable Bloodline Concentration.
As for the two books, one was the Beggar Sect's signature Evil Skill, Dog Beating Staff Technique. The other was called Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. It was the reward for the Hangzhou Road branch of the Beggar Sect mobilizing all its forces to help an Evil Cultivator of the Eternal Life Cult surround and hunt down the magistrates of Fuyang and Qiantang Counties.
It was said that the leading Evil Cultivator of the Eternal Life Cult had risked offending the [Dragon Nest] to catch a dragon in the Qiantang River himself. The unlucky creature had originally been human. By sheer luck, it had found an opportunity to enter the Dao and had even advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Unfortunately, it hadn't survived its Qi Deviation. It had lost all reason and become a Dragon Demon, wreaking havoc in the Qiantang River.
It had taken pleasure in capsizing passing boats and devouring travelers who fell into the river.
After the Evil Cultivator caught it, he subjected it to every kind of torment and experiment. In the end, he created this entirely new Bizarre Martial Art.
Once unleashed, it possessed the might to subdue dragons.
Of course, that was just boasting.
It couldn't subdue a true dragon. It merely contained some vicious supernatural power and could suppress certain snakes, insects, spirits, and monsters.
To prevent accidents and the loss of the items, the branch leader had personally carried the Half Dragon Corpse and the original manuals. He'd also made several copies of the manuals and distributed them among a few capable subordinates. Hong Buyi was senior in rank, so he'd received a Fragmentary Manual and a Dragon Scale. The manual contained only the first three palms.
The Beggar Sect's Hangzhou Road branch!
Everyone had believed that taking part in this affair would count as a great merit.
Afterward, they'd offer the dragon corpse and the techniques to the sect, and the entire branch would enjoy the benefits. The branch leader had even believed he could use this merit to compete for the position of deputy sect leader.
Who could've guessed the end result would be total annihilation, with nothing gained at all?
It was a pity that Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, a Bizarre Martial Art that had only recently come into being, hadn't even had the chance to show its power. It had become a Fragmentary Manual, containing only the final three palms, and fallen into Ge Xian's hands.
At first, Ge Xian had thought he'd stolen these strange objects and techniques for nothing.
No matter which one he used, he'd have to pass the "incompatibility" hurdle. Even if he made it through, he'd still undergo Demonic Transformation.
Hong Buyi and the other beggars hadn't minded. Before dying, they'd even shouted about abandoning their humanity as soon as possible and becoming true beasts. Ge Xian wasn't willing to do that, and had already thought about simply giving up.
But he hadn't expected the path to turn at a bend and reveal hope.
"Whether I succeed or fail will be decided by this one attempt."
As soon as the thought arose, Ge Xian began to move.
He was naturally cautious, so he didn't unleash Bewitchment at full strength right away. Instead, he first tapped the Green Bamboo Staff with one finger, then slowly released about one-fortieth of his Bewitchment power.
At first, nothing happened. Ge Xian wasn't disappointed; he simply increased the power.
When Bewitchment reached one-tenth strength, a sudden change took place.
The strange Green Bamboo Staff seemed to have developed a mind of its own. It clung tightly to Ge Xian's finger and tried to absorb the alluring fragrance of Bewitchment from his body.
The moment this happened, an uncontrollable look of delight appeared on Ge Xian's face.
Almost instinctively, before the Green Bamboo Staff could absorb much more, he activated the power of Cai Bu in return.
In the blink of an eye!
Ge Xian felt as if a Bottomless Pit had appeared inside his body, a vortex beginning to suck in the object touching his fingertip.
After only two or three breaths, the Green Bamboo Staff, marked with Demon Dog bite marks, shuddered violently. Then the demonic radiance on it faded completely.
When he looked again, it had become a withered yellow bamboo staff that could snap at any moment.
And at that very moment, a mass of Demonic Green Qi had appeared inside Ge Xian's body.
As he sensed it, the supernatural power formed from this Qi also emerged:
"Beat Dog!"
"After using this power, as long as you hold any rod-shaped object, you can inflict tremendous damage on dogs."
"Combined with the Dog Beating Staff Technique, it can harm Demon Dogs and other such monsters."
Almost immediately, Ge Xian's face broke into a wide smile.
He felt like a man lost in a desert who had suddenly come upon sweet rain. He was overjoyed.
Although he could sense that the supernatural power inside him would dissipate within twenty-four hours, it was still cause for great celebration.
"It really... works."
"I'm not just Male Daji. I've found a new path—perhaps even a Cultivation Path that belongs to me alone?"
He hadn't seen or experienced enough to make any absolute claims yet.
But there was one thing he could be certain of: he'd no longer have to tremble helplessly as a mortal in this terrifying, Demonic Chaotic World.
Although the path he'd found was still very vague, it was already enough to give him the power to protect himself.
As the thought filled him with joy, Ge Xian's gaze quickly fell on the other two strange objects on the bed.
More experiments!
They began.
Who knew how much time had passed? In the dead of night, inside the Ge family home in Qiantang County,
the room that the "Broom Spirit" had tidied and cleaned was now caught in a storm of chaos.
At least a dozen Demon Dog Phantoms appeared in the small room. They were lean and patchy with fur, drooling, their eyes glowing with bloodlust. As if driven by some will, they lunged together toward the figure in the middle of the room.
That figure held nothing but a withered yellow bamboo staff, then performed a refined yet vicious Staff Technique.
Though he had only just begun practicing it, there wasn't the slightest trace of effort in his movements. His staff flashed, and with casual ease, he struck down half the Demon Dog Phantoms.
The rest continued to rush at him. But at that moment, Ge Xian put away the bamboo staff and lightly struck out with one palm from his waist. A vicious Strange Dragon Phantom surged through the air. It opened its jaws and swallowed up the remaining Demon Dogs.
The storm abruptly ceased, and everything fell silent.
Ge Xian looked around, then first assessed the supernatural powers he'd used.
"Even an old Evil Cultivator of the Beggar Sect like Hong Buyi, wearing a Dog Treasure and using a Green Bamboo Staff to perform the Dog Beating Staff Technique, would need months of diligent practice to wield it as naturally as I did."
"As for the Dragon Subduing Palm, another Evil Cultivator would first have to take the Dragon Scale into his body, withstand the incompatibility reaction, and then practice the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms manual for years. Only then might he be able to unleash it as easily and effortlessly as I did."
"But why is that?"
As his thoughts shifted, Ge Xian looked down at his skin and hands.
There was no change!
They were still human hands and human skin.
One of the Cultivation World's common truths: using supernatural power required one to pay a negligible price.
For example, Demonic Transformation could hardly be called a price. It was more like a sign, a portent.
Take [Demon County Magistrate Lu Hualong], for instance. As powerful as he was, when he unleashed his might, his body changed from human into a Gu-Eating Spirit Monster.
And that old dog Hong Buyi, when he'd exhausted his last strength and tried to eat some fresh flesh, had also obediently turned into a "Demon Dog" and leaped up to eat people.
Those Corpse Herders were no more human when they cast their spells.
Clearly, this was common knowledge.
Yet after all his exertions, Ge Xian hadn't grown claws, scales, or any other strange appendages. His body wasn't emitting the slightest foul, rank odor, either.
This sight put him in an excellent mood.
After conducting numerous experiments, he'd confirmed a few things and come up with some theories:
"First, I bewitch a spirit or strange object, then perform Cai Bu. This is, in truth, a process of subjugation."
"Compared to these supernatural powers, I'm the one in the higher position."
"So they can't resist me at all. They can only gradually dissipate, and until then, I can use them as I please without paying any price."
"Perhaps other cultivators, no matter what lineage or sect they belong to, can only use a single type of supernatural power at a time?"
"But I seem to have no taboos at all. The more, the better?"
"And I don't undergo Demonic Transformation after using them."
Ge Xian still sounded somewhat uncertain, but the evidence suggested his theories were true.
Of course, even this alone would have made Ge Xian very happy, but it wouldn't have put him in such an excellent mood.
After all, these "supernatural powers" were really just borrowed.
Some would last longer, others less, but in the end, they would all fade away.
After that, he'd once again become a feeble peddler, a mortal with no way to protect himself.
What had truly made Ge Xian nearly "wild with delight" was what he'd sensed in that very moment.
Twelve hours had passed. The three supernatural powers he'd obtained earlier—Call Wind Summon Rain, Skin-Painting, and Bewitchment—had long since vanished without a trace.
But now, still brimming with excitement and expectation, Ge Xian moved his thoughts and called out softly:
"Wind Come!"
"Rain Come!"
In an instant, a breeze so faint it could barely make the lamplight flicker stirred in the humble room. Then Ge Xian, his head tilted back and face turned upward, felt a slight dampness on his face—barely more than a thin sheen of sweat.
But Ge Xian, having verified it once again, could hardly keep from laughing aloud.
"I did it. It really worked."
"This is my Cultivation Path. Every strange object and countless spirit and monster in this world can be put to use by me."
Before you continue