[You have met the requirements to become a Daoist Acolyte. Do you wish to take up the profession?]
"Take it!"
Ever since Jiang Xuan had arrived in this world, he had been waiting for this moment. Naturally, his answer carried not the slightest hesitation.
"Buzz!"
As Jiang Xuan made his choice, a cool sensation surged forth from some unknown place, jolting both body and soul.
At the same time, information related to spell arts and ritual procedures abruptly flooded into Jiang Xuan's mind, where he understood it.
The excessive information left Jiang Xuan's consciousness muddled for a while. Only after a long time did he come back to himself, by which point his Daoist Acolyte profession had officially been acquired.
"Mm..."
Rubbing his head, Jiang Xuan prepared to inspect his own condition, but he did not slowly probe himself with the power of his soul.
He directly opened the game interface and began checking his information through the game log.
[You have taken up the auxiliary profession: Daoist Acolyte] [Your body and Soul Spirit have undergone a cleansing, receiving a slight improvement] [You have been registered and have obtained the cultivation methods for three of the Eight Great Divine Incantations: Heart-Purification Divine Incantation, Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation, and Body-Purification Divine Incantation]
It was, after all, an initial profession. Translated into real-world terms, it was merely an apprentice position, so the changes Jiang Xuan received were not particularly great.
Fortunately, the defining feature of the Daoist profession had already revealed itself—the Divine Incantations.
"Pure Heart, Mouth Purification, Body Purification, Land-Soothing Divine Incantation, Golden Light Incantation, Incense-Blessing Divine Incantation, Mysterious Essence Incantation, Heaven-and-Earth Purification Divine Incantation... These Eight Great Divine Incantations may merely be the eight most commonly used Incantations in Daoist Fasting and Ritual Ceremonies, and the most basic ones at that."
"But basic did not mean weak. There had once been a Celestial Master who, with only the Golden Light Incantation in hand, had remained untouched by ten thousand arts and suppressed an entire era."
"And now, I have three of them."
The renowned Golden Light Incantation was the fifth one and had not been comprehended by Jiang Xuan.
Yet Jiang Xuan was not particularly disappointed over missing that Incantation.
There was no need to mention that he could acquire it later. One reason alone kept his emotions from fluctuating too much.
"I'm in the outer sect Daoist Academy of the Divine Firmament Sect. For the time being, as long as I don't court death myself, I won't run into danger. In such circumstances, choosing to cultivate the Golden Light Incantation would be a complete waste."
"What I need most right now is an Incantation that improves cultivation efficiency... The assessment pressure inside the Daoist Academy is far too great, especially since I want to enter the Dao-Bearing Class."
Thinking of this, Jiang Xuan regretted that he had not learned the Mysterious Essence Incantation.
The Mysterious Essence Incantation, also called the Opening Scripture Mysterious Essence Incantation, was the "key to Dao Resonance" among the Eight Great Divine Incantations. It could unlock the Dao Resonance within the scripture treasury and temporarily enhance one's comprehension, making it most suitable for recitation while cultivating techniques or studying the Daoist Canon.
"Fortunately, even without the Mysterious Essence Incantation, the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation is still good."
This was the "Dao-Heart Anchor" among the Eight Great Divine Incantations, a core foundational Incantation upon which cultivators relied to establish themselves and preserve their lives. It was also the prerequisite safeguard for every act of cultivation.
Daily meditation and recitation could wash away distracting thoughts, stabilize the spiritual platform, and leave the mind calm as still water.
After figuring out the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation, Jiang Xuan set his sights on the Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation and the Body-Purification Divine Incantation.
The former could purify verbal karma and leave a lingering fragrance upon one's tongue and lips. It could also make one's scripture-reciting voice more compelling. At profound levels of cultivation, it could even silence others.
The Body-Purification Divine Incantation, meanwhile, could cleanse the flesh of dust, filth, and turbid qi, allowing spiritual qi to circulate more smoothly.
Overall, Jiang Xuan was quite satisfied with these two Divine Incantations.
Especially when a flash of inspiration struck his mind and he suddenly thought of something. His eyes immediately lit up:
"If my idea truly works, the effects of the Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation and the Body-Purification Divine Incantation will be a hundred times more important than I originally imagined."
The beautiful future he envisioned made Jiang Xuan's heart pound without pause.
Only after reciting the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation once more did Jiang Xuan calm himself down.
Afterward, Jiang Xuan opened the game interface and looked over his overall status.
[Player: Jiang Xuan] [Age: Fourteen] [Main Combat Profession: None] [Auxiliary Profession: Daoist Acolyte] [Talent: Spirit Root (Profound · Middle) (Blue)] [Technique: Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method (Realm 1, Beginner, 109/300) (Blue)]
[Profession: Daoist Acolyte] [Rating: Rare (Blue)] [Level: 1/3 (1/300)] [Attribute Bonus: Each level slightly increases mental strength] [Profession Skills: Heart-Purification Divine Incantation (Realm 1, Beginner, 0/108) (Blue), Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation (Realm 1, Beginner, 0/108), Body-Purification Divine Incantation (Realm 1, Beginner, 0/108)]
That was Jiang Xuan's information. What differed was that a chart extended from the Daoist Acolyte profession, filled with Daoist Acolyte advancement paths.
After giving it a cursory look, Jiang Xuan discovered that Daoist Acolytes actually had quite a few possible advancement directions.
[Daoist Acolyte Advancement Paths: Shaman, Ritual Priest, Wandering Daoist, Dragon-Tiger Daoist, Mount Mao Daoist, Divine Firmament Daoist...]
"So many Daoists..."
Just as Jiang Xuan had expected, every one of these advancements had requirements, and he had fulfilled none of them.
For example, the Wandering Daoist.
[Profession: Wandering Daoist] [Requirements: ①: Cultivate the prerequisite profession, Daoist Acolyte, to perfection (Incomplete) ②: Travel through the mortal world for one hundred days, covering at least three hundred li and visiting nine villages, towns, or settlement areas (Incomplete) ③: During your travels, accept offerings from thirty-two lay devotees (Incomplete) ④: Make a banner, a Daoist robe, and a bagua, then hold a profession-acquisition ceremony in a Daoist temple (Incomplete)]
"..."
Such profession requirements left Jiang Xuan speechless. What left him even more speechless were the abilities gained after becoming a Wandering Daoist.
[After taking up the profession: ①: Physical endurance and walking ability increase. ②: Gain profession trait: Silver tongue. ③: Gain profession skills: Deception, Eight-Character Fortune-Telling, Facial and Palm Reading, Basic Herbal Medicine, Prayers for Blessings and Warding Off Calamities, Simple Talismans...]
Wandering Daoists had quite a few profession abilities, but most were skills for roaming the martial world. There were scarcely any practical spells among them.
Deception, in particular, was actually listed first, leaving Jiang Xuan utterly Wuyan.
Fortunately, only Wandering Daoists were like this. The other Daoists were much more normal.
However, Jiang Xuan also discovered the difference between the requirements for proper Daoists and Wandering Daoists.
[Profession: Dragon-Tiger Daoist] [Requirements: ①: Cultivate the prerequisite profession, Daoist Acolyte, to perfection (Incomplete) ②: Raise the three Great Divine Incantations to proficiency (Incomplete) ③: Obtain recognition from Dragon-Tiger Mountain (Incomplete) ... ⑥: Hold a Register-Bestowing Ceremony in the main hall of Dragon-Tiger Mountain]
"No matter which proper Daoist path it is, the prerequisite for taking it up is to cultivate Daoist Acolyte to perfection, raise the three Great Divine Incantations to proficiency, obtain recognition from the relevant mountain sect, and conduct a Register-Bestowing Ceremony in a Daoist temple courtyard... By that logic, the Wandering Daoist has the lowest requirements instead."
"It only takes some time, but it isn't difficult to complete."
Though the requirements were low, Jiang Xuan obviously would not choose such an advancement path.
At the same time, Jiang Xuan had no time to ponder further.
"Jiang Xuan, it's time for morning class!"
Hearing his mother's call, Jiang Xuan immediately rose from the prayer cushion in the main hall and headed outside.
Outside, Shen Yuerong had already prepared his meal—several rice balls wrapped in green lotus leaves.
They were not large, but they were not cheap either.
The rice inside was crystal-clear, like pearls and white jade. It was Spirit Rice. Grown in spiritual fields, it contained little turbid qi and could nourish the body, making it most suitable for those who cultivated the Dao.