No-Thought Venerable Power

The setting sun draped the mountains in gold.

Flat-roofed stone houses stood against the mountainside, each resembling a fortress.

Every building's outer walls were painted creamy white, with red prayer banners hanging from the roofs.

White stone steps descended from the cluster of buildings all the way to the foot of the mountain.

Guangfa and Su Wu stood before the steps.

Gazing up at the buildings on the mountain-the No-Thought Venerable Power Temple-Guangfa smiled faintly. "Come, let's go up. Only at the temple can you receive the verse that determines your fate and begin your Binding Practice!"

"There won't be any danger in the temple, will there?" Su Wu still remembered that the temple's two senior elders had forced his master to suppress his two senior fellow disciples, whose fiends were about to revive. Having made enemies of those elders, could Guangfa really expect a good reception on his return?

What was more, this involved the "Buddha Son." The child selected as the Buddha Son would eventually inherit the position of abbot of the No-Thought Venerable Power Temple!

How could a struggle involving the transfer of power possibly remain peaceful? Bloodshed was inevitable!

"Not just anyone has a fiend on the verge of revival inside them. They could stop me once, but they won't stop me a second time." Guangfa shook his head, his gaze turning cold.

He took the lead up the stone steps. "Come along. You asked so many questions about cultivation on the way here. Clearly, you were eager to begin.

"Why are you hesitating now that the moment has come?"

"Yes, Master."

Su Wu collected himself and followed Guangfa.

The two figures made their way up the long mountain stairway.

At last, they reached the gates of the No-Thought Venerable Power Temple.

The monk guarding the gates hurriedly bowed when he saw Guangfa, then invited them both inside.

The guard's reaction suggested that Guangfa held a certain standing within the temple.

At the very least, he was not someone just anyone could push around.

Somewhat reassured, Su Wu was about to inspect his surroundings when an electronic notification suddenly sounded in his ears: "You have discovered the safe house 'No-Thought Venerable Power Temple.'

Your progress will automatically be saved here during the simulation.

You may choose to exit the simulation from this location.

Exit?

I can finally save!

Hearing the simulator's notification, Su Wu breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at his master, Guangfa, walking ahead of him, and silently commanded, Exit the simulation!

The instant the thought arose, the scene before him became like a rippling pool, its images churned into fragments by the waves.

The images gradually faded.

Su Wu saw the mold spots on his bedroom wall.

He had returned to reality.

The simulator's notifications kept sounding in his ears: "This simulation has ended."

Rating: B-minus.

Evaluation: You have begun to lift the veil from this mysterious world.

Rewards: Base reward for a B-minus rating: +100 origin jade;

Blue Talent Upgrade Talisman ×1;

Green Talent Upgrade Talisman ×1;

Escaped pursuit by a Withered Fiend on the verge of revival once: +20 origin jade;

Escaped pursuit by a Hair Fiend on the verge of revival once: +5 origin jade;

Escaped pursuit by Narrow-Sleeved Guanyin twice: +20 origin jade.

Your wallet balance is: 713 + 145 = 858 origin jade.

You witnessed the entire process of making a Fragrant Blood Offering. You may sell the complete production method.

The production method for the Fragrant Blood Offering has been valued at 1,000 origin jade.

You used a Corpse Incense Offering and learned part of its production method. You may sell this partial production method.

The partial production method for the Corpse Incense Offering has been valued at 200 origin jade.

You learned systematic knowledge of Binding Practice. You may sell your knowledge of the Binding Practice system.

Knowledge of the Binding Practice system is worth 2,000 origin jade.

You learned the specific classifications of fiends. You may sell your knowledge of fiend classification.

Knowledge of fiend classification is worth 500 origin jade.

Sell?

As the electronic voice continued, two panels appeared before Su Wu.

The panel on the left listed the "items" he could sell to the simulator.

The panel on the right listed the things he could buy from it.

Guangfa, the master he had picked up so easily, was rather straightforward. After Su Wu became his disciple, Guangfa answered every question he asked, holding nothing back.

As a result, Su Wu had learned a great deal of useful information from Guangfa on their journey to the No-Thought Venerable Power Temple.

Su Wu had gathered this information because it was useful to him. He had never expected the simulator to buy it as well.

And the prices it offered were extremely generous.

Selling this knowledge to the simulator cost Su Wu nothing.

His memories of it would remain intact.

So he answered without hesitation, "Sell everything!"

You sold the complete production method for the Fragrant Blood Offering and received 1,000 origin jade;

You sold the partial production method for the Corpse Incense Offering and received 200 origin jade;

You sold your knowledge of the Binding Practice system and received 2,000 origin jade;

You sold your knowledge of fiend classification and received 500 origin jade.

Your wallet balance is: 858 + 3,700 = 4,558 origin jade.

Over four thousand origin jade!

A small fortune!

With so much money in hand, Su Wu eagerly turned his gaze to the panel on the right. But the moment he saw the first item available to take out, he realized that even four thousand origin jade would not go far.

The following items may be taken out of the simulator:

Option 0: Human-Skin Withered Ghost Painting (5,000 origin jade).

Option 1: Mind-Root Reserve (1,000 origin jade).

Option 2: Incomplete Tiger Demon Curse Mark (1,000 origin jade).

Option 3: Fragrant Blood Offering (1,000 origin jade).

Option 4: Corpse Incense Offering (2,000 origin jade).

Option 5: Corpse Buddha Ghost Hand (2,000 origin jade).

...

Su Wu had already examined many of the listed items.

He only opened the detailed descriptions of the Fragrant Blood Offering and the Corpse Incense Offering.

Fragrant Blood Offering: An offering made using the blood of a person with a specific fate as a catalyst, combined with various other materials.

A small number of fiends in the life-category Hell Path will accept this offering.

While a fiend consumes a Fragrant Blood Offering, it will not attack other living beings.

Corpse Incense Offering: An offering made primarily from the corpse of an infant born prematurely in late July who died in mid-August, combined with various other materials.

A small number of fiends in the life-category Heavenly Being Path will accept this offering.

While a fiend consumes this offering, it will not attack other living beings.

...

Making offerings was an important discipline within the Binding Practice system followed by monks of the Secret Treasury Domain.

It was just as important as Ghost Medicine Refining.

As the name suggested, offerings were precious items presented to higher beings.

The offerings made by monks of the Secret Treasury Domain, however, were all presented to fiends.

By presenting offerings, these monks could attract, repel, or bewilder fiends.

The effects of every type of offering had been verified at the cost of many human lives.

To determine how each offering affected different fiends, the monks had even classified the fiends, thereby clarifying the specific effects!

Based on their outward manifestations, the All-Dharma Temple of the Secret Treasury Domain divided fiends into two broad categories: life and non-life.

The life category referred to fiends that displayed the characteristics of living beings. The Hair Fiend, the Withered Fiend, and Narrow-Sleeved Guanyin all belonged to this category.

The Eye Fiend Su Wu had encountered in reality could also be placed in the life category.

The Shadow Fiend and the fiend behind the Trapped Corpses, however, could not.

Although the Shadow Fiend could assume a human outline, it was ultimately only a shadow and displayed none of the characteristics of a living being.

The fiend behind the Trapped Corpses had gathered a large number of them, but those Trapped Corpses were not its true body.

Only after its true body had been identified could it be classified.