Change in the Main Fate Pattern

Early that morning, while the sun was still low, Yang Huai sought out Hou Feng Daoist again and asked him to teach him another technique.

Hou Feng Daoist had mentioned that once he had achieved success in the Little Vajra Incantation, he could come find him again. Naturally, Yang Huai could not let such an opportunity slip by.

Yesterday, he had spent no small amount of time crossing mountains and ridges while hunting down the people of Hengling Stockade. In the end, his pace had even been too slow, nearly allowing that lone Heavenly King to escape. Today, he intended to ask Hou Feng Daoist to teach him a technique that could improve his speed.

In the side hall of the kitchen, Hou Feng Daoist did not look surprised.

"Looks like you understand how much a movement technique could help you!"

Hou Feng Daoist assumed Qingli had gained some insight after his battle with Feng Ying that day, then laughed at himself.

"If you had possessed a movement technique that day, you would not necessarily have been in such a sorry state!"

Yang Huai nodded and cupped his hands.

"Therefore, this disciple boldly asks Martial Uncle Hou Feng to bestow another technique upon me!"

Hou Feng glanced at him, thought for a moment, and said.

"How about I teach you the Wind-Dancing Art? This technique lets one ride the wind. It is no ordinary wind-riding technique..."

Yang Huai hesitated slightly.

"What, you are unwilling?"

Hou Feng Daoist looked at Yang Huai in surprise.

Though the Wind-Dancing Art was quite ordinary, if one could master it, there would still be room to delve deeper in the future and cultivate more profound movement arts.

After thinking it over, Yang Huai said.

"Martial Uncle, do you have a movement technique suited for casting with the soul?"

Hou Feng Daoist was slightly surprised, then suddenly understood. Qingli possessed formidable soul talents, something he already knew. He merely assumed Qingli wished to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses.

After a brief moment of thought, he said.

"I do have a Pure Spirit Evasion Art. Its power far surpasses that of ordinary wind-escape techniques, but it was originally not to be passed on..."

Yang Huai raised his head at those words, his eyes turning as he immediately cupped his hands.

"This disciple is willing to enter the Daoist's lineage. Please take me in, Martial Uncle!"

Hou Feng Daoist stroked his beard slightly, hesitation flickering in his eyes.

The talent and temperament Qingli had displayed were both excellent, enough to meet his requirements for accepting a disciple. But the Slaughter Hall was steeped in killing. If Qingli wished to attain the Dao in the future, he would likely face no small amount of trouble.

The bond between master and disciple was intimate, far from ordinary. If he accepted the other into his lineage, he naturally could not simply leave him unattended.

But then he would likely find it difficult to have any peace in the future, and that would affect his own prospects.

Forget it. Better to have less trouble. Consider it forging a good karmic bond!

After thinking it over, he waved his hand and helped Yang Huai up.

"My own Dao cultivation is not yet complete, and I have no intention of taking in disciples. Still, you are a member of my kitchen after all, so there is no harm in passing this secret art to you. But without my permission, you must not pass it on to anyone else!"

His expression was stern.

A trace of disappointment could not help but appear on Yang Huai's face. He nodded.

"Yes!"

Yet his heart was utterly calm.

Yang Huai knew Hou Feng Daoist had probably not taken a liking to him, but it did not matter. In truth, he had not taken a liking to this kitchen master either.

Hou Feng Daoist turned and entered a side hall. A moment later, he brought out a green beast-hide scroll covered in runes and handed it to Yang Huai.

"Return it to me after you have memorized it!"

After saying that, he stood to the side and waited.

Yang Huai immediately fixed his gaze on the green beast-hide scroll in his hands. His spiritual awareness spread out as he began to examine the flowing cloud script upon it.

The full name of this cloud script was Primordial Cloud Script. It had been jointly studied and created by ancient divine beings, and contained the mysterious marvels of Heaven and Earth's Dao arts. Its only flaw was that it was obscure and difficult to understand. To even begin learning it, one had to use the twenty-two primal glyphs as a foundation. Yang Huai had already mastered all twenty-two primal glyphs, so reading it was rather convenient. Before long, he imprinted the flowing cloud script representing the form of a cloud deep into his sea of consciousness, committing it to memory, then returned the beast-hide scroll to Hou Feng Daoist.

After leaving the hall where Hou Feng Daoist resided, Yang Huai's heart brimmed with joy.

It had to be said that Hou Feng Daoist truly had some good things in his possession.

This Pure Spirit Evasion Art belonged to the composite "pure" and "wind" attribute secret arts. If successfully cultivated, one's body could merge with pure spirit qi and ride the wind, nimble without sacrificing speed.

At this moment, the Bronze Mirror in his sea of consciousness changed again.

Anchored item.

[Name: Qingli]

[Age: Eleven]

[Main Fate Pattern: Innate Sword Bone (Gold)] (...)

Status: Right arm and mud-pellet sword bone fully awakened.

[Innate Spirit-Awakened Sword Body: 4/100] (...)

...

[Pure Spirit Evasion Art: 1/150 (Beginner)]

[Twenty-Two Primal Glyphs (22/22)]

After gaining a little understanding of the Pure Spirit Evasion Art, Yang Huai squatted at the entrance to the kitchen and continued carving Human King woodcarvings.

Having tasted the benefits, Yang Huai naturally did not wish to give them up.

If he could exchange for several more spirit fruits over a thousand years old, he would soon be able to break through to the Purple Mansion. His Heavenly Circuit Heart Method and Metal Origin Five Aggregates Diagram would also advance by leaps and bounds.

Yang Huai set aside some time to carve several Compassion Cloud Script Woodcarvings and Yang Cloud Script Woodcarvings again, then focused the bulk of his energy on the third Radiance Cloud Script Woodcarving.

By the afternoon, accompanied by a small burst of spiritual qi, when the Radiance Cloud Script Woodcarving took shape, the mana throughout his body advanced by another fraction. Yang Huai could sense that the gaseous mana flowing within the depths of his Purple Mansion had already reached a critical point. At the center of the mana seed, a small vortex had formed and begun to spin, liquefying.

Not long after the Radiance Cloud Script Woodcarving in his hand took shape, Daoist acolytes who had caught wind of it came personally.

"Fellow Daoist Qingli, I see that you have a Flint King Spirit-Image Woodcarving in hand. It seems capable of suppressing baleful and sinister qi, calming the mind as well. Could you give this item to me? I am willing to exchange an item for it as recompense!"

Yang Huai looked up to see several Daoist acolytes observing him. All were clad in luxurious robes, their bearing entirely unlike that of ordinary acolytes.

Mao Hong stood respectfully beside the leading acolyte.

There was also an exceptionally young acolyte, appearing to be around ten years old. He wore a jade crown, with long hair falling over his shoulders. His features were extraordinarily handsome, and a faint divine mark could be seen deep within his brow, making him seem most unusual.

Yang Huai did not recognize the others, but he knew this acolyte.

This was Daokongzi, one of the two innately gifted acolytes from Qingli's batch who had been the first to enter the Dao registry. It was said that after entering the registry, he had caught the eye of a True Adept from the pill chamber, who had named him a personal disciple and kept him at his side for instruction.

A guess arose in Yang Huai's heart, but he asked aloud.

"Fellow Daoist, you are?"

The eighteen- or nineteen-year-old acolyte smiled faintly.

"I am Bai Lingzhen, a disciple of the pill chamber. I currently serve as the pill chamber's chief disciple. I heard that Fellow Daoist had invented a rather fine divine-nurturing artifact, so I came specially to take a look!"

After a slight pause, he praised it.

"Now that I have seen it, it is indeed quite extraordinary! May I ask what Fellow Daoist calls this?"

Yang Huai answered casually.

"A woodcarving. This is the signature craft of us carpenters!"

"May I have a look?"

Yang Huai casually tossed the Radiance Cloud Script Woodcarving in his hand, containing a thread of radiant rhythm, over to him.

"It is truly ingenious beyond compare, born of singular craftsmanship! Fellow Daoist's carpenter's path has attained the wondrous mysteries of Heaven and Earth's creation. You will surely have great promise in the future!"

As he stroked the lines and patterns that contained the natural beauty of Heaven and Earth, astonishment filled Bai Lingzhen's eyes, and he could not help offering heartfelt praise.

"Throughout the wild and ancient world, there has never been anyone like Fellow Daoist, capable of carving decayed wood into something miraculous. Fellow Daoist is truly worthy of being the patriarch of this path!"

As his words fell, Yang Huai's heart stirred. He only felt a trace of mysterious wonder arise in the unseen. The Carpenter Fate Pattern deep within his sea of consciousness suddenly transformed from white, giving birth to a trace of azure within. Beneath that azure, the white leaped directly past yellow and became red. Within it, there was also a trace of azure resonance far surpassing gold, slowly nourishing his Main Fate Pattern.