Entering the Dao

In the ruined temple, Zheng Que sat with his eyes closed, calming his mind and steadying his breath as he guided that slender wisp of energy along his meridians, inch by inch, following the pattern described in the cultivation technique.

As that chill sank deeper, he felt a cold, condensed breath take shape inside him. It seemed even his body temperature had dropped considerably.

At the same time, his emotions were strongly affected. A violent, bloodthirsty, vicious impulse suddenly rose within him. He wanted nothing more than to leap up and shout, to smash something to pieces.

He knew this was because he had absorbed the yin energy mixed in with the spiritual energy.

Zheng Que immediately steadied his mind and directed that chill toward his Qi Sea.

In his perception, the Qi Sea was like a dam stretching across a river. The spiritual energy drawn into his body was like carp leaping at the Dragon Gate, striking the invisible barrier again and again.

Thump, thump, thump...

Dull sounds, both real and illusory, lingered by his ears. He had no idea how much time passed. In the depths of his mind, it was as if a great bell had tolled, shaking heaven and earth. At the same time, he seemed to "see" his Qi Sea burst open, revealing a vast, chaotic void.

Success!

Joy surged through Zheng Que. In an instant, the scene before his eyes suddenly changed, and he found himself in a dilapidated Wide Hall. Much of it had collapsed, leaving ragged holes overhead and in the walls. Cold wind howled through, making the place seem even more desolate.

He was seated in a Grandmaster Chair with one broken leg. On the long table before him, its lacquer chipped and faded, lay an old Life and Death Book.

Zheng Que froze. Before he could figure out what was happening, wisps of icy black qi welled up between his brows and darted into the Life and Death Book like birds returning to the forest!

At the same time, the cold breath inside him began to dissipate rapidly.

His agitated, violent emotions gradually returned to normal as well.

After a brief moment of shock, Zheng Que immediately understood: this was the yin energy he had absorbed into his body while drawing qi into it just now!

The yellowed Life and Death Book before him could absorb his yin energy.

The Life and Death Book!

This was something from the Underworld!

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

Moreover, when he had dreamed of the Life and Death Book before, he had been completely devoid of conscious awareness. Now that he had absorbed yin energy, he could stay lucid in this dream?

With that thought, Zheng Que immediately reached out, intending to open the [Life and Death Book].

But at that very moment, all the black qi between his brows had already entered the [Life and Death Book].

The next moment, the scene before his eyes changed again. The [Life and Death Book] vanished without a trace. The long table, the Grandmaster Chair, the Wide Hall... all dissolved into nothingness, replaced by the familiar ruined temple. The cushion beneath the shrine was empty; his master was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he had been cultivating for a long time.

Zheng Que sat stunned for a moment, then came back to himself.

Had the [Life and Death Book] absorbed all the yin energy in his body, causing him to leave that dim, decaying space of the Wide Hall?

As he pondered this, he stood up and immediately felt that his body had undergone a world-shaking transformation. Power surged through him, his vitality brimmed over, and his mind felt exceptionally clear. His senses had sharpened; his gaze flashed like lightning as he looked around, and he could easily hear termites crawling across the rafters.

Zheng Que clenched his fist, glanced around, then suddenly punched the ground.

BOOM!!!

With a tremendous crash, the bluestone-paved ground was smashed into a pit a foot across.

As dust and stones flew, Zheng Que drew back his fist and nodded in satisfaction.

He had successfully entered the Dao!

With his strength now, if he encountered an ordinary lion, tiger, or other ferocious beast, he should be able to kill it with a single punch.

According to the description in the [Life Planting Technique], he was now a first-layer cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm.

He just didn't know whether he could deal with that "Call-Sound Ghost" tonight...

Just then, Zheng Que heard faint noises coming from the courtyard. He immediately gathered his thoughts and headed for the door.

The sun was already sinking in the west. The shadow of the dead old tree beside the wall had crawled over the threshold. The Female Hanging Ghost was still there, but she wasn't swaying in the wind. She hung obediently in place, without moving.

The weeds that had once covered the courtyard were now pressed flat beneath coffin after coffin, their wood a dull, dark color.

Daoist Qu stood beside one of the open coffins, his back to Zheng Que, apparently fiddling with something. The air was thick with the smell of blood.

Zheng Que immediately walked over and bowed. "Master, this disciple has entered the Dao."

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

"Although the [Life Planting Technique] is a shortcut to success, entering the Dao within a few hours shows that you have decent talent."

"Still, this is a shortcut, not a balanced and upright method. It has its drawbacks. Every time you absorb spiritual energy, you also absorb a large amount of yin energy."

"If you want to live a long life, you'll have to know when to push and when to rest. Don't bury yourself in cultivation."

Zheng Que's expression didn't change. He simply nodded respectfully. "Yes!"

For an ordinary cultivator, absorbing too much yin energy would not only shorten their lifespan but also affect their state of mind.

But now he had the [Life and Death Book] in the ruined Wide Hall. It could absorb the yin energy lingering in his body, so he had no need to worry about the side effects of this cultivation technique.

Daoist Qu continued, "Now that you've entered the Dao, go back for now."

"Come here again tomorrow. I'll teach you some spells."

Zheng Que bowed. "This disciple will obey."

Seeing Daoist Qu turn back to his work by the coffin, Zheng Que maintained his respectful posture and backed out of the courtyard one step at a time. Then he hurried toward his lodgings.

Perhaps because he was returning earlier than usual today, he encountered nothing strange along the way. He even came across a few townsfolk he recognized.

However, everyone was in a hurry. They walked with their heads slightly lowered, constantly watching their surroundings from the corners of their eyes, ready to avoid anything suspicious at a moment's notice.

Even when they occasionally recognized an acquaintance, they made no move to greet them. Instead, they turned their faces away and quickened their pace.

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

"...You good-for-nothing! I went to all that trouble to find you a wife, and first thing this morning, you drove her off!"

"Mother, keep your voice down! That wife of mine, she—she might not be human... Now I don't even dare sleep at night!"

"Don't talk nonsense! If she weren't human, she's been in the house for two days already. Why hasn't she eaten the 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 always coming and going alone..."

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

Behind the familiar courtyard wall, several treetops rose into view. The couplets pasted on either side of the gate had faded. This was the old Zhao family's home, next door to his. Judging by their voices, the two arguing were probably Zhao the Second, the Zhao family's second son, and his mother, whom the townspeople generally called Old Lady Zhao.

From the looks of it, something was wrong with the wife Zhao the Second had married.

Creak!

Just then, the old Zhao family's courtyard gate suddenly opened...