Entering the Dao

Inside the dilapidated temple, Zheng Que sat with his eyes tightly shut, focusing his mind and calming his breath. He guided that slender thread of airflow, moving it bit by bit through his meridians according to the patterns described in the cultivation manual.

As the chill deepened, he felt a cold, condensed aura form within his body. It seemed as though even his body temperature had dropped significantly.

At the same time, his emotions were heavily affected. A wave of violent, bloodthirsty, and ferocious impulses surged forth, making him want to jump up, scream, and destroy something.

He understood in his heart that this was due to the yin energy mixed within the spiritual energy he had absorbed.

Zheng Que immediately steadied his mind and directed that thread of coldness to strike against his Qi Sea.

In his perception, the Qi Sea was like a dam spanning a river. The spiritual energy he had drawn into his body was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, crashing against the invisible barrier again and again.

Thump, thump, thump...

A muffled, dreamlike sound echoed in his ears. He did not know how much time had passed when, in the darkness, it felt as if a great bell had tolled, shaking heaven and earth. At the same time, he seemed to "see" the location of his Qi Sea burst open, revealing a chaotic void.

It worked!

Zheng Que felt a surge of joy. In an instant, the scene before his eyes changed. He suddenly appeared in a ruined Wide Hall. The hall had collapsed in many places, with jagged holes in the ceiling and walls. Cold wind whistled through, making the place appear even more desolate.

He was sitting on a wobbly armchair, and before him sat a long table with peeling paint, upon which lay an ancient Life and Death Book.

Zheng Que was stunned. Before he could react to what was happening, wisps of chilling black energy surged from between his brows, darting into the Life and Death Book like birds returning to the forest!

At the same time, the cold, icy aura within his body began to dissipate rapidly.

His previously restless and violent emotions gradually returned to normal.

After a brief moment of shock, Zheng Que immediately realized that this was the yin energy he had absorbed into his body while drawing in the spiritual energy earlier!

The yellowed Life and Death Book before him was capable of absorbing his yin energy.

Life and Death Book!

This was something from the Underworld!

But in this world, the Underworld had long since ceased to exist...

Furthermore, when he had dreamed of this Life and Death Book before, he had no autonomous consciousness. Now that he had absorbed yin energy, he could remain conscious within this dream?

Thinking of this, Zheng Que immediately reached out, wanting to flip open the Life and Death Book.

But at that very moment, all the black energy from between his brows had already vanished into the Life and Death Book.

The next instant, the scene before his eyes changed once more. The Life and Death Book vanished without a trace; the long table, the armchair, the Wide Hall... all of it dissipated like smoke. Replacing it was the familiar dilapidated temple. The prayer mat beneath the shrine was empty; he seemed to have been cultivating for a long time, and his master was no longer in the temple.

Zheng Que sat dazed for a moment before coming back to his senses.

The yin energy in his body had been completely absorbed by the Life and Death Book, so he had been ejected from that dark, decaying space of the Wide Hall?

As he pondered, he stood up and immediately felt that his body had undergone a earth-shattering transformation. Power surged through his limbs, vibrant with vitality. His spirit felt exceptionally replenished, his five senses were sharp, and his gaze was as piercing as lightning; he could even hear the sound of termites crawling on the rafters with ease.

Zheng Que clenched his fist, glanced around, and suddenly slammed a punch into the ground.

BOOM!!!

With a thunderous sound, the bluestone-paved floor was instantly smashed, leaving a square-foot-wide crater.

Amidst the flying sand and stones, Zheng Que withdrew his fist and nodded in satisfaction.

He had successfully entered the Dao!

With his current strength, if he were to encounter ordinary lions or tigers, he should be able to kill them with a single punch.

According to the description in the Life Planting Technique, he was now a cultivator at the first level of the Qi Refining Realm.

However, he did not know if he could deal with the Call-Sound Ghost tonight...

At this moment, Zheng Que heard some subtle movements in the courtyard. He immediately composed himself and walked toward the door.

The sun was slanting westward. The shadow of the withered old tree by the wall had already crept over the threshold. The Female Hanging Ghost in the shadow was still there, but instead of swaying in the wind, it hung there obediently, motionless.

The weeds that had originally filled the courtyard were now all crushed under the weight of coffins with dull-colored surfaces.

Daoist Qu stood beside one of the open coffins, his back to Zheng Que, seemingly fiddling with something. The air was filled with a thick, bloody stench.

Zheng Que immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master, this disciple has entered the Dao."

Daoist Qu turned around, looked at Zheng Que, and upon sensing the change in his aura, nodded slightly in approval. "Not bad."

"Although the Life Planting Technique is a shortcut method, being able to enter the Dao within a few hours shows remarkable talent."

"However, this is a shortcut after all, not a balanced and orthodox path. It has its drawbacks; every time you absorb spiritual energy, you will simultaneously absorb a large amount of yin energy."

"If you wish to live a long life in the future, you must balance your efforts and not bury yourself in blind cultivation."

Hearing this, Zheng Que's expression remained unchanged as he respectfully nodded. "Yes!"

If he were an ordinary cultivator, absorbing too much yin energy would not only shorten his lifespan but also affect his state of mind.

However, he now possessed the Life and Death Book within the dilapidated Wide Hall space, which could drain the stagnant yin energy from his body. He had absolutely no need to worry about the side effects of this technique.

At this time, Daoist Qu continued, "Now that you have entered the Dao, go back for now."

"Return here tomorrow, and I will teach you spells."

Zheng Que bowed and replied, "This disciple obeys."

Seeing Daoist Qu turn back to busy himself with the coffins, he maintained a respectful posture, backed out of the courtyard gate step by step, and then walked quickly toward his living quarters.

Perhaps it was because he returned earlier than usual today, but he didn't encounter anything strange on the road, and even ran into a few familiar townspeople.

However, everyone was in a hurry, their heads slightly bowed as they moved, constantly scanning their surroundings from the corners of their eyes, ready at any moment to avoid anything suspicious or abnormal.

Even when they occasionally recognized an acquaintance, they showed no intention of greeting them; instead, they turned their faces away and quickened their pace.

As he neared home, Zheng Que suddenly heard an argument coming from the courtyard next door.

"...You good-for-nothing wretch! It took me so much effort to find you a wife, and here it is, barely morning, and you've already scared her off!"

"Mother, keep your voice down! My wife, she... she might not be human... I don't even dare to sleep at night anymore!"

"Stop spouting nonsense! If she weren't human, she's been in this house for two days now, why hasn't she eaten our whole family? It's not easy to find a wife these days. Look at Zheng Que next door, he's only two years younger than you, and he's still coming and going all by himself..."

Hearing his own name, Zheng Que instinctively paused his steps and looked toward the direction of the voices.

Behind the familiar courtyard wall, a few treetops poked out, and the couplets pasted on both sides of the gate had already faded. This was the home of the Zhao family, his neighbors. Judging by the voices, the two people arguing were the Zhao family's second son, known as Zhao the Second, and his mother, whom the townspeople generally called Old Lady Zhao.

Given the situation, it seemed that something was wrong with the wife Zhao the Second had married.

Creak!

At that moment, the gate to the Zhao family's courtyard suddenly opened...