Watch What I Can Do

The Zhao Household's Foundation Establishment Ancestors looked grim when they heard that Zhao Fei, who had distinguished himself just that day, had been killed by a curse.

They immediately sought out an Old Cultivation Method cultivator from their Lineage.

When they arrived at the scene, the Old Cultivation Method cultivator stared at the thirty skeletons, bewildered and at a loss.

One Foundation Establishment Ancestor asked, "What spell caused this?"

A Zhao Household old-cultivation-method cultivator coughed. "Among the Lower Court's tens of thousands of spells, if there aren't three to five thousand that can kill with a curse, there are at least one or two thousand."

"There are so many spells. I can't possibly master every last one!"

One Foundation Establishment Ancestor looked taken aback. "Aren't you practitioners of crooked paths and side doors supposed to excel at mastering spells?"

"Don't you claim you can master plenty of spells with a single glance, and even bring them to perfection?"

A Zhao Household old-cultivation-method cultivator sneered. "I've only mastered three thousand scrolls of Daoist Scriptures, not ten thousand!"

"If I'd mastered ten thousand scrolls of Daoist Scriptures, naturally I could learn a spell with one glance and perfect it with a single use."

"Besides, there are so many spells in the Lower Court, plus the spells improved by your New Method and those brought in from elsewhere. They're as countless as hairs on an ox."

"How could I master that many all by myself?"

A Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Zhao Household sneered. "Making excuses for your incompetence?"

The Old Cultivation Method cultivator rolled his eyes in anger. "Yes, I'm incompetent."

"You're so capable. Do it yourselves!"

The Zhao Household's Foundation Establishment Ancestor sneered. "When I tell you to do something, do it. Don't make me report you to the higher-ups!"

This Zhao Household old-cultivation-method cultivator fell silent for a moment.

"Prepare silver soul wood, yin soil, underworld water, straw that's rotted for a hundred years, and a hundred martial artists' skulls. I'll use my arts to protect the survivors first, then track down the caster and see if I can kill them."

Several Foundation Establishment Ancestors frowned. "Protect the survivors? What do you mean? Is the person who cursed our people going to keep killing?"

A Zhao Household old-cultivation-method cultivator sneered. "All fifty of them went to No. 95 Courtyard to cause trouble."

"The caster wouldn't kill thirty with a curse and spare the remaining twenty."

The New Method Foundation Establishment Ancestors looked bewildered. "Why not curse them all at once?"

The Old Cultivation Method cultivator fell silent for a moment. "If you'd read even a few Daoist Scriptures, you'd know that under normal circumstances, one strand of mana can only curse one person to death at a time."

The New Method Foundation Establishment Ancestors gave awkward smiles and said nothing.

Before long, everything was ready.

This Zhao Household old-cultivation-method cultivator arranged the various implements and employed his arts.

The blood essence of the twenty survivors was smeared over a hundred white skulls.

A Zhao Household old-cultivation-method cultivator said smugly, "Now that I've employed these arts, the caster will need a spell based on mastery of at least six thousand scrolls of Daoist Scriptures to curse them to death."

"And in the Lower Court, any cultivator who's mastered six thousand scrolls would probably have dealt with them on the spot if they'd clashed."

"Only someone who hasn't mastered six thousand scrolls would have held back until now to kill them with a curse."

"Just wait and watch what I can do."

With his hair hanging loose, he spat out mouthful after mouthful of mana to empower the implements, preparing to search for traces of the curse.

Before long, the twenty New-Method Cultivators suddenly writhed in pain, blood streaming from their seven orifices.

The next second, the hundred skulls smeared with their blood essence burst into flames.

Bang! Bang!

The skulls turned to ash and fell to the ground.

"Watch what I can do!"

A Zhao Household old-cultivation-method cultivator formed seals with both hands, chanted scripture, and danced about.

The next second, the implements he had prepared burst into flames, turning into a plume of black smoke that soared skyward in pursuit of the caster.

At that moment:

Outside the Lower Court, Wang Quan, who was casting his spell, sensed someone using a spell to trace it back to him.

He sensed it briefly, then sneered. "You need so many implements to help you cast a single spell? Looks like you haven't mastered many Daoist Scriptures!"

He casually grabbed a handful of straw effigy ashes and muttered an incantation.

Then he employed a countermeasure from the Nightmare-Subduing Technique.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

He spat out ten strands of mana in one breath.

Those ten strands of [Bright Moon Mana] swept up the straw effigy ashes, turning into a hazy streak of black light that vanished straight into the void.

The next second:

The black smoke released by a Zhao Household old-cultivation-method cultivator suddenly surged backward, then split into seven streams that burrowed into his seven orifices.

A Zhao Household old-cultivation-method cultivator screamed, "Spare me!"

The instant he sensed the profound intricacies of the spell, he knew his opponent had mastered at least seven or eight thousand scrolls of Daoist Scriptures, perhaps even ten thousand.

Only that could allow someone prepared to counter him instantly while he was caught unawares.

Whoosh!

The black smoke churned, dissolving his flesh and blood.

In barely a second, nothing remained of this Zhao Household old-cultivation-method cultivator but a black skeleton standing where he had been.

The New Method Foundation Establishment Ancestors watched in silence.

After a moment, someone muttered, "Your arts aren't much good either!"

The Zhao Household's qi refiners reported to their superiors again.

The Foundation Establishment Ancestors of the Blissful Union House also reported the situation to their higher-ups.

Meanwhile, Wang Quan returned to the Martial Academy and breathed in moonlight to replenish his mana.

Once his mana had recovered, he depicted the faces of those twenty people again and wove gleaming golden straw effigies.

When everything was ready, he went out again to cast the Nightmare-Subduing Technique.

This time, the twenty New-Method Cultivators screamed once and burned straight down to white bones.

"This round of curse-killing actually cost me more than two hours."

Wang Quan picked up his case and returned to the Coffin Dormitory Area.

When he returned, he found a young woman sitting on a nearby coffin.

She was the same young woman who had asked him questions earlier.

Her eyes lit up when she saw him return. "Senior brother, my name is Ying Jiaren. I hope you'll look after me from now on!"

Wang Quan nodded. "Still not asleep?"

Ying Jiaren smiled. "I'm contemplating the Daoist Scriptures."

Wang Quan laughed. "You'll get better results contemplating them inside a coffin."

Ying Jiaren's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yes. Truer than pure gold!"

Ying Jiaren thanked him, then hurriedly climbed into her coffin.

Wang Quan smiled.

Even now, he could lie inside a coffin for no longer than the time it took to drink a cup of tea before its influence sent him into deep sleep to nourish his mind.

The same would happen to Jiaren once she climbed inside.

But after a good night's sleep, she would be full of vigor tomorrow and study the Daoist Scriptures more efficiently.

That hardly counted as deceiving her.

Eight moon phases flew out of the case and hung in the night sky, drawing moonlight down into his inner landscape.

Strand after strand of mana came into being.

An hour...

Two hours...

Four hours...

Dawn was approaching.

Wang Quan lit a bundle of sandalwood incense and paid homage to the moon.

As he chanted scripture, the bundle of sandalwood incense burned fiercely, sweeping up his thirty-one strands of [Bright Moon Mana] and soaring straight toward the moon.

The next second, the yin spirit in his inner landscape dimly glimpsed a volcano on the moon.

Understanding stirred in Wang Quan's heart, and he committed the volcano's shape to memory.

Then the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in his case worked on their own, adding new moon markings to the eight moon phases and strengthening the paper moon phases' connection to the moon so they could draw down more moonlight.

"Senior brother, you tricked me!"

The lid of the nearby coffin lifted, and Ying Jiaren poked her head out. "I fell asleep last night."

Wang Quan smiled. "Aren't you full of energy now?"

Ying Jiaren paused, then nodded. "Yes."

"So... once your mind is rested, you can study the Daoist Scriptures more efficiently!"

Ying Jiaren nodded. After chatting with Wang Quan for a little while, she knocked on the coffin beside her.

A moment later, the coffin opened, and the young man who had accompanied her emerged.

"Come on, let's go to the Scripture Repository!"

"Okay!"

The young man and woman headed straight for the Scripture Repository.

Meanwhile, Wang Quan circulated the [Purple Qi Reaches the Heavens Method], preparing to gather purple qi.