The Myriad Transformation Infinite Art

After paying, Lu Yuan followed the map included in the Qing Province Demon-Suppressing Bureau Survival Guide and soon arrived at the entrance to the Martial Excellence Pavilion.

The doors stood wide open, revealing a bright, airy interior where several colleagues came and went.

As soon as Lu Yuan crossed the threshold, he spotted a familiar figure standing beside a mural.

The man had his back to the door. He wore a Dark Patterned Brocade Robe and a Gold-Woven Cloak embroidered with the Fierce Tiger Treading Evil Pattern. He was the same official Lu Yuan had seen earlier in the County Office's main hall.

Lu Yuan paused, then hurried forward and cupped his fists in salute. "Greetings, sir."

The man turned around. A hint of warmth softened his dignified features.

"Lu Yuan, you slew 278 demons in an hour and earned the highest grade in the entrance examination. Very impressive."

Lu Yuan smiled. "You flatter me, sir. Thank you for giving me the Waist Token. I haven't had the chance to ask your name."

The man didn't hide it. "My surname is Shen, and my given name is Mo. I serve as the Chief Instructor of the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division."

Chief Instructor?

A flicker of surprise crossed Lu Yuan's eyes.

The Chief Instructor oversaw promotion examinations for everyone below the rank of Demon Suppression Captain. The position wasn't especially high, but the authority it carried was no small matter.

Su Ding'an's guide had also mentioned that Chief Instructor Shen Mo's cultivation was unfathomable. A few years ago, he had slain a six-realm great demon on Qing Province's border.

And someone like him had gone out of his way to wait here?

After speaking, Shen Mo turned and headed for the stairs. As he walked, he asked, "How much do you know about the Martial Excellence Pavilion?"

Lu Yuan followed him. "Before I came, I heard that the first floor held basic techniques, the second floor had advanced techniques, and the real core techniques were on the third floor."

Shen Mo nodded and led Lu Yuan up to the third floor. He paused. "You've only just joined. Ordinarily, you'd be allowed to choose a technique from the first three floors."

Lu Yuan nodded, but before he could reply, Shen Mo continued up to the fourth floor.

He paused, instinctively glancing at the wooden sign beside the stairs. Two lines of large characters were written in clear, unmistakable strokes.

First line: Fourth Floor Restricted. Entry Without Permission Forbidden.

Second line: Violators Will Be Severely Punished.

Shen Mo had already climbed several steps. He looked back with a faint smile. "What are you standing there for? Come on."

Lu Yuan pointed at the sign. "Lord Shen, this..."

"That's for other people. I may not be anyone important, but I have the authority to bring you upstairs."

Lu Yuan drew a deep breath and followed him.

He'd earned the highest grade in the entrance examination, so he was getting special treatment. Someone else wouldn't have had this opportunity.

Fourth floor.

Scrolls and ledgers were neatly arranged on rows of ancient wooden shelves.

Shen Mo moved with practiced ease, heading straight for the far end as soon as he reached the floor.

Following behind him, Lu Yuan glanced over the various techniques.

Thousand-Face Gu Sutra.

Feed one's vital essence to a natal Gu. Once it matured, it could reside within the body and alter one's appearance and aura, making it impossible to tell truth from falsehood.

Cultivation required enduring heart-devouring agony, and the Gu had to be fed the vital essence of living people every year. Otherwise, it would turn on its host.

Lu Yuan frowned. This technique... was far too sinister.

The next one was the Mountain-Suppressing True Formula.

Visualize an ancient divine stele to guard one's body. When the technique was activated, one's body became like a mountain—immovable and impervious to all methods.

Its weakness was a lack of offensive methods and slow movement.

It was indeed a good technique, but it didn't quite suit his style.

"Take a look at this one."

Shen Mo's voice sounded beside him. The man had pulled a ledger from the shelf at the far end.

Lu Yuan took it and saw several ancient-looking characters on the cover: Ultimate Eight-Wilds Imperial Art.

Shen Mo stood with his hands behind his back and said, "During the entrance examination, you struck with immense force and ferocity. Your style favors bold, sweeping attacks."

"This technique is supremely hard and fierce, unmatched in offense. Once mastered, a single punch can shatter mountains, and a single slash can cleave rivers. It suits you perfectly."

Lu Yuan was about to thank him when something caught his eye.

At the very top of the shelf, a ledger leaned against the wall. It was thinner than the others, and a thick layer of dust covered it, as though nobody had touched it in years.

"Lord Shen, what's that one?"

Shen Mo glanced over, then casually took the ledger down and brushed off the dust, revealing its cover.

Myriad Transformation Infinite Art.

"This technique... How should I put it..."

Shen Mo paused, his tone complicated. "The theory is top-notch, but the results leave much to be desired."

Lu Yuan took it and opened the cover to look inside.

The opening line read: Draw spirit into the body. A hundred refinements make iron; a thousand forge steel; ten thousand transformations reach infinity.

Shen Mo's voice sounded at just the right moment.

"This technique takes an unorthodox path. It focuses on internal refinement, tempering and compressing the spirit power within your body over and over, much like refining iron into steel."

"Each layer brings about a qualitative leap in spirit power. Use the same moves, and their power will surge several times over."

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up. Wasn't this much better than the previous technique?

He was about to speak when Shen Mo changed tack.

"Unfortunately, the highest level in any surviving records is only the third. Nobody has ever managed to cultivate it beyond that."

"They couldn't continue?"

"Right. It's like refining iron to its limit. Without a hotter fire, you can go no further."

He looked at Lu Yuan, his expression serious. "Given your aptitude, the Ultimate Eight-Wilds Imperial Art is the best choice. Build a solid foundation, and you're sure to become an exceptional cultivator."

Yet a strange glint flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes.

Tempering spirit power until a quantitative change triggered a qualitative transformation—the theory was indeed top-notch, and its potential was immense.

Others couldn't master it because they lacked the power to refine their insides further.

But he had it!

The power of [Heaven Opener] was invincible, able to break through anything. Mastering the Myriad Transformation Infinite Art would be a piece of cake.

Lu Yuan's gaze sharpened as he made up his mind. "Lord Shen, I'll take this one."

Shen Mo's expression shifted. "What?"

Lu Yuan raised the ledger in his hand. "The Myriad Transformation Infinite Art."

"You..." Shen Mo frowned. "Nobody has ever broken through the third layer of this technique. You'll get stuck before you're even halfway through. And you still want to cultivate it?"

Lu Yuan was about to answer, but Shen Mo raised a hand and cut him off.

"Fine, it's your choice. But let me make this clear: if you hit a wall, come to me at once. I'll keep the Ultimate Eight-Wilds Imperial Art for you."

"Thank you, Lord Shen!" Lu Yuan felt a warmth in his heart and bowed with his fists cupped.

"All right, you've chosen your technique. Off you go." Shen Mo waved dismissively.

Lu Yuan grinned and bowed before taking his leave.

Back at the Thatched Cottage at the Mountain Foot, which had been assigned to the new recruits,

he placed the Myriad Transformation Infinite Art on the table.

He swallowed the Mortal Shedding Pill, drew spirit into his body, and began circulating the technique.

An exceedingly pure energy burst from his dantian and surged madly through his limbs and bones. Everywhere it passed, his flesh, blood, and bones trembled.

As the Myriad Transformation Infinite Art circulated, threads of spirit power flowed into his meridians like the morning mist, moving through his body in an orderly fashion.

Under the effects of [Heaven-Defying Comprehension], Lu Yuan finally understood what it meant to study the myriad arts of heaven and earth as easily as tracing the lines on his palm.

Every meridian seemed to come alive, clearly appearing in his mind.

This one slow, that one fast; this one stopping, that one turning in a loop...

It was as if the technique's path had already been cleared for him. All he had to do was follow it once.

Into the Baihui point, down the Conception Vessel, past the dantian, up the Governing Vessel, then back to Baihui.

The whole journey flowed as smoothly as a stream running down a mountain.

After one full cycle, his spirit power had clearly grown denser and more substantial.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes. A flash of brilliance glimmered in their depths.

The first layer of the Myriad Transformation Infinite Art.

He'd done it.