Huamei Mountain, Hidden Dragon Temple.
Outside the Seven Star Hall, Zhou Wuji paced back and forth with a horsetail whisk in hand, occasionally raising his head to look at the deep, starry sky overhead.
It was late autumn. The seven stars of the Northern Dipper hung high, their handle pointing west.
Zhou Wuji thought of his previous life. Back then, he had never paid attention to changes in the stars, only spouted nonsense about zodiac signs to fool women.
Now, however, he had to study the Northern Dipper's configurations every day, trying to draw primordial Qi from them and sense the changes in heaven and earth.
Unfortunately, even though he had awakened the memories of his past life and possessed an adult's intelligence and tenacity, his progress over more than ten years had been merely average.
This world resembled ancient China, except that it had powerful cultivators, man-eating demons, and soul-devouring ghosts. It was an extremely dangerous world.
The most important thing for living well in this world was having enough strength.
At this thought, Zhou Wuji could not help wanting to sigh. He had been trying all sorts of methods in the hope of finding a shortcut.
The facts had proven that talent mattered most in cultivation. Effort, persistence, and the like were all secondary.
Petty cleverness was even more useless!
Luckily, I met a good master. The old man's pretty capable, and he owns a Daoist temple. Living off him and waiting to die isn't so bad...
While Zhou Wuji was dwelling on pleasant thoughts, a burst of brilliant light suddenly flashed inside the hall, followed by a low, muffled boom.
He was startled. The old man was secretly performing a ritual inside the hall. How had he made such a commotion?
With no time to think further, Zhou Wuji hurriedly pushed open the doors and rushed inside.
The majestic, solemn statue of the North Pole Heavenly Emperor stood high above. The incense altar before it held offerings of incense, candles, fruit, orchids, and the five grains.
The dim yellow light of the two ever-burning lamps swayed and flickered violently, making the statue of the North Pole Heavenly Emperor alternately brighten and darken with an indescribably sinister, eerie quality.
A short, stout figure lay motionless before the incense altar. From his build, it was clearly his master, Li Yiyuan.
Zhou Wuji hurried forward to help his master up, but as soon as he drew near, he smelled a strong stench of burning.
When he lifted his master, he saw that the old man was scorched charcoal-black from head to toe, without a single patch of intact skin.
"Master, Master..." Zhou Wuji was truly shocked. The old man looked to be in terrible shape.
Li Yiyuan slowly opened his one intact eye. His dilated pupil gradually contracted before he could make out Zhou Wuji's face.
Yet that slight movement caused several tiny, charcoal-like fragments to crumble from his face.
Recognizing his closest disciple, the old man felt relieved. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Wuji, I rashly used a Secret Method and violated a major precept. Yin Thunder struck me as heavenly punishment. I'm done for..."
Though Zhou Wuji possessed the wisdom and experience of two lives, the sight of his master in such a miserable state still pained him. For a moment, he did not know what to say.
The old man had not only saved his life, but treated him better than anyone else. Who could have imagined such a sudden calamity would befall him?
"Time is short. Listen to me."
Li Yiyuan knew he had little time left. Before he departed, he had to make all his final arrangements clear.
Zhou Wuji said earnestly, "Go ahead, Master. I'm listening!"
"I..." Li Yiyuan had barely uttered a single word before his throat became too dry and raw to produce another sound.
Zhou Wuji also noticed something was wrong. "Master, use the lamp oil to write on my clothes first."
Li Yiyuan was pleased with his disciple's quick thinking, but shook his head to indicate there was no need.
As a Seventh-Rank Register Reception Daoist, he had subtler methods of his own.
Li Yiyuan formed Law Seals with his hand, gathered all his mental strength, and lightly touched Zhou Wuji between the brows.
Boom! It was as though a thunderclap had exploded deep inside Zhou Wuji's head. Then he "saw" a black book.
The book was ancient and plain in design, with five intricate, mysterious characters on its black cover.
Though he did not recognize them, he naturally understood what those five characters meant: Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment.
At the same time, Li Yiyuan's voice rang out in Zhou Wuji's mind. "This book is called the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment. It is our North Pole Sect's most important divine artifact, and the foremost divine artifact of slaughter in the Daoist tradition..."
Only through Li Yiyuan's explanation did Zhou Wuji learn that the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment was the sect's divine artifact, but had been lost for centuries.
Through a convergence of circumstances, it had fallen into his master's hands.
While cultivating one of its Secret Methods, his master had inadvertently violated a precept, triggering Yin Thunder that blasted his body and spirit toward annihilation.
"The Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment has one hundred and eight minor precepts and thirty-six major precepts. Its rules are exceptionally strict. With this divine artifact in your hands, you must take my fate as a warning, obey the precepts strictly, and never act recklessly."
Li Yiyuan was transmitting his thoughts through Divine Sense. By this point, his spirit was failing and his breath was exhausted, and even his voice came in fits and starts.
Zhou Wuji nodded firmly.
"The Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment is a supreme divine artifact with endless wondrous uses. Take your time studying and exploring it. You must never reveal it to another person.
"But the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment is an artifact, not a cultivation method. You can only learn truly superior methods at the main temple. This is crucial..."
Here, Li Yiyuan sighed. "You've been a deep thinker since childhood, with a tough, enduring nature. These things shouldn't be difficult for you.
"Only, you're a little petty-minded, and you like taking clever shortcuts. Your breadth of character is somewhat lacking. You must watch that in the future."
Zhou Wuji felt somewhat wronged. It was true that he liked taking clever shortcuts, but how was he petty-minded?
Master's judgment isn't all that good either... But the old man was in such terrible shape that he could hardly argue.
"Zhang Wuding, Fang Wuzhen, and the others are all direct descendants of the county's great clans. Those clans are shortsighted and care for nothing but profit. With my unexpected death, they'll certainly set their sights on Hidden Dragon Temple. That will put you at a serious disadvantage!
"If you can't win against them, take a step back and go to the lower temple first. Your Martial Uncle Yiping and I are very close. For my sake, he'll look after you somewhat..."
Zhou Wuji nodded again. Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen were his fellow disciples, and their usual relations were passable.
But when it came to becoming Hidden Dragon Temple's True Disciple, that bond between fellow disciples was worth nothing.
Having made his final arrangements, Li Yiyuan let out a long breath of stale air. The light in his intact eye gradually dimmed.
"More than ten years ago, I happened upon the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment deep underground. I thought I had received heaven's mandate, that one day I would surely make my name resound throughout the world, attain the Dao, and ascend.
"I never imagined that one wrong step would leave me dead and my Dao extinguished. The Great Dao is difficult, so difficult!"
As Li Yiyuan lamented, one hand clamped tightly around Zhou Wuji's wrist. "Walk this Great Dao in my place. Go above the nine heavens and see what the Heavenly Emperor and the Buddha look like!"
"Yes!" Zhou Wuji answered in a deep voice.
With Zhou Wuji's promise, the spiritual light in Li Yiyuan's eye gradually faded. With his last breath, he sighed faintly, "While three inches of breath remain, a thousand things can be done; once death comes, all things end..."
Without his powerful Divine Sense holding it together, the Daoist's body no longer held a trace of life.
Zhou Wuji realized his master was dead. Only then did he slowly lower him.
Daoist Yiyuan lay quietly on the floor, his clothes and hair scorched by Yin Thunder. He looked like a large, fat lump of charcoal.
The only external possession still intact was the Seven Star Sword in its black wooden scabbard, which the old man always carried.
This sword was a seventh-rank Law Artifact, specifically effective against ghosts and demons. The old man had always treasured it and never let him touch it.
The more he forbade it, the more Zhou Wuji tried every means to sneak a chance to handle the Seven Star Sword.
Now, however, he was in no mood for that. Zhou Wuji picked up the Seven Star Sword and casually hung it at his waist.
Zhou Wuji sat in a daze for a while longer before kneeling on a cushion and kowtowing deeply to the statue. "By the Heavenly Emperor's mercy, this disciple is willing to give up three years of his lifespan, four years..."
After thinking it over, he steeled himself and said, "Five years of my lifespan in exchange for Li Yiyuan shedding his mortal shell and ascending to perfection, free from all suffering and calamity."
Then Zhou Wuji felt that would not work either. Five years of his lifespan probably were not worth that much. He added, "Just let the old man be reincarnated into a good life..."