Drowning Dao Lower Court:
Wang Quan spotted the Round-Faced Daoist Nun at the entrance to the Miscellaneous Goods Hall.
The nun held a bundle, craning her neck in anticipation.
Her face lit up when she saw Wang Quan. "You only just started cultivating Dharma Power, and you're already using the Nightmare-Subduing Technique to kill people. You really are ruthless."
"Who offended you?"
Wang Quan smiled. "Senior sister, I never leave the Lower Court or get into arguments. How could anyone have offended me?"
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun rolled her eyes. "You were calling me big sister earlier!"
Wang Quan...
After exchanging pleasantries with the Round-Faced Daoist Nun, Wang Quan found a quiet room for secluded cultivation.
He sat cross-legged, tapping the [Plain Moon Paper-Cutting Box] in his hands. His Yin Spirit visualized the faces of Zhao Fei and the others while his physical body chanted the scriptures of the Nightmare-Subduing Technique.
Bili, bili!
Jili, gulu!
Strands of Dharma Power were consumed one after another.
Once all thirty strands of Dharma Power were exhausted, thirty scrolls flew out of the box, bearing unmistakable portraits of Zhao Fei and the others.
I don't care if you want to promote the New Method.
I care even less about this so-called struggle between the New Method and the Old Cultivation Method.
But you can't use me as your stepping stone!
Using me as a stepping stone was bad enough, but you even threatened me in public.
Do you think I have no face to save?
Killing intent boiled in Wang Quan's heart.
Back when he had cultivated just one strand of Dharma Power, he had already dared to confront that Daoist in the Miscellaneous Goods Hall head-on.
Now that he had thirty strands of Dharma Power and numerous means of preserving his life, he was even bolder.
The portraits were ready, but his Dharma Power was completely depleted.
With no money, Wang Quan had bought no medicinal pills, so once his Dharma Power was exhausted, he could only recover it on his own.
His Yin Spirit's thoughts stirred, and the next instant, eight Lunar Phases flew out of the box.
Although it was daytime, with the eight Lunar Phases suspended overhead, Wang Quan silently practiced the [Bright Moon Shines on Me Method]. Wisps of moonlight still streamed down, speeding his recovery.
Half an hour later, all thirty strands of Dharma Power were restored.
The eight paper Lunar Phases flew back into the box.
Wang Quan opened the bundle.
Inside were straw, golden needles, poison, red thread, and other materials.
Some of these materials had been nurtured by heaven and earth; others were man-made.
Every one had been refined with Nightmare Victory-type Dharma Power, making them top-grade materials for the Qi Refining Realm.
Wang Quan chanted the scriptures of the Nightmare-Subduing Technique again.
This time, however, he adjusted the order of the verses.
Bili, bili!
Jili, gulu!
Stalks of straw that looked like gold rose into the air, weaving through the portraits like threads.
When the chanting ended, the scrolls vanished, replaced by thirty gleaming golden straw dolls.
This procedure consumed only a single strand of Dharma Power.
He made a few adjustments and placed the straw dolls in the bundle, then plucked a hair from his own head and cast the Nightmare-Subduing Technique again.
As he chanted the scriptures, the hair in his hand suddenly caught fire.
At the same instant, rapidly flickering images appeared around his Yin Spirit in the inner landscape.
The images showed strands of fallen hair or flakes of skin that had dropped into the dust.
Whenever an image appeared, the object within it swiftly burned under the Nightmare-Subduing Technique.
Only when no more images appeared was it certain that all the hair, skin flakes, saliva, and other filth Wang Quan had left behind had been burned away.
From this point on, ordinary cultivators would have no way of targeting him with the Nightmare-Subduing Technique.
Afterward, he used a few more minor applications of the Nightmare-Subduing Technique to seal himself off:
From now on, any hair, skin flakes, or similar things he shed would burn away the instant they fell, minimizing the chance of being targeted by spells like the Nightmare-Subduing Technique.
Wang Quan had everything ready now, but it was not yet time to cast the spell.
For one thing, the Nightmare-Subduing Technique was most powerful at night.
For another, he could practice all sorts of spells in the Lower Court, but if he used one to harm someone, the Lower Court's Magic Treasure would detect it without fail.
The instant he cast a spell to kill, the Magic Treasure would unleash its might, destroy the spell, and inflict backlash on the caster.
Thus, if he wanted to kill someone, he would have to wait until nightfall and leave the Lower Court.
The moon had yet to rise above the willow tips, so Wang Quan carried his bundle to the Scripture Repository to study Daoist Scriptures.
As always, people came and went in the Scripture Repository.
But those who could keep studying Daoist Scriptures for more than two years were few and far between.
After entering the Scripture Repository, Wang Quan noticed several new faces inside.
These people must have entered the Scripture Repository for the first time today.
That aloof Daoist nun is performing rites in Courtyard No. 95. I wonder who explained the Lower Court's rules to them.
I wonder if whoever explained them this time persuaded any newcomers to leave.
As these thoughts passed through his mind, he began studying the Daoist Scriptures.
An incense stick's worth of time...
Half an hour...
An hour...
The moon rose above the willow tips.
Wang Quan stood and headed straight back to the Coffin Dormitory.
He sat upright on the Coffin Board and tapped the box. Eight Lunar Phases rose into the air. As he circulated his Fundamental Method, streams of hazy moonlight descended, instantly transforming into strands of Dharma Power.
Some newcomers returned and watched Wang Quan cultivate Dharma Power with envy written all over their faces.
The veterans from last month, however, wore expressions of disdain.
"We heard that anyone who starts cultivating Dharma Power sells a little blood, raises their access privileges, and moves into a better dormitory."
"Who with any ability would stay in this dump?"
Wang Quan dismissed their remarks with contempt.
He had already cultivated Dharma Power. He would not stoop to squabbling with ordinary people-only with fellow cultivators.
Late into the night, most of the newcomers and veterans had gone to sleep.
Wang Quan finished cultivating Dharma Power, and the eight Lunar Phases returned to the box.
He stood, picked up the box, and prepared to go out and kill.
But the very next instant:
"Senior brother, please wait!" a pleasant voice called out.
Wang Quan turned to see a young man and woman bowing to him.
The young man was handsome and dashing, with an imposing bearing and a tall, straight frame.
The young woman was lovely, graceful, and possessed a noble air.
"Hmm?"
The young woman bowed. "Senior brother, we only just arrived, and there are many things we don't understand."
"Could we ask you for some advice?"
Wang Quan smiled. "Of course!"
When his group had first arrived, many things the aloof Daoist nun told them had been vague. He, Qian Xiuyue, Wu Yong, and the others had also gone around asking people for advice like this.
Some had explained things to them in detail; others had given vague responses.
Later, once they became veterans, newcomers came to them with questions every month, and they explained everything they knew in detail.
The young woman brightened. "Senior brother, are Daoist Scriptures very important?"
"The Daoist who explained things to us said they were. The instructors in the method transmission hall and the Technique Transmission Hall said so too."
"But lots of other people say they aren't important, and that mastering three thousand scrolls of Daoist Scriptures is enough."
Wang Quan smiled. "The instructors and the Daoist who explained things weren't lying!"
"Daoist Scriptures are very important!"
"If you can endure the solitude, you can absolutely do as they told you."
Both the instructors and the Daoist who explained things had mentioned that the higher the version of the Fundamental Method one practiced for the first time, the better.
Yet... very few people patiently improved their mastery of Daoist Scriptures before formally beginning to cultivate Dharma Power.
Many only improved their mastery of Daoist Scriptures after cultivating Dharma Power, relying on the assistance of their Yin Spirits.
But by doing so, even if they mastered ten thousand or even a hundred thousand scrolls of Daoist Scriptures, they would no longer have any chance of obtaining the [First-Rank Dao Seal].
And the [First-Rank Dao Seal] was the finest gift prepared for cultivators who could endure the solitude.
The young man and woman were delighted and thanked him repeatedly.
Wang Quan smiled. "There's no need to thank me!"
"I once asked other people for advice just like this."
"If someone asks you for advice in the future, I hope you'll do the same."
Beside her, the young man thumped his chest in assurance. "Rest assured, senior brother. We'll definitely follow your example!"
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