CHAPTER 121: CHAPTER 104: ENTERING THE LIST

In Chen Ku’s courtyard.

He was astonished and ecstatic about the significant changes the Nameless Stance, which he had secretly learned, had brought to his body.

What kind of immortal stance is this?

After all, according to the theory of Inner Qi cultivation he had been exposed to, especially in the Everlasting Youth Classic of the Medicine King Hall, the mobilization of Blood Qi was supposed to require mental focus. And the act of mobilizing Qi also required Intent to move the Inner Qi to where it was needed, such as the arms, fingers, and limbs.

But now, the effect of this Nameless Stance completely shattered his understanding of Inner Qi.

There could actually be a stance that, relying solely on its movements, could activate the body’s Inner Qi and automatically create a specific ’circulation route.’

He had actually started cultivating it.

This remarkable change had occurred after he had practiced the stance merely seventy-two times.

It was no exaggeration to say that, in Chen Ku’s view, this stance was like an automatic cultivation device, allowing one to cultivate at any time—while eating, drinking, sleeping, walking, even during a fight, he was cultivating Inner Qi.

No, not just that... A trace of clarity flashed in Chen Ku’s eyes. The cultivation technique passed to his daughter by the city’s foremost expert surely isn’t so simple, and this is only my first day of practice. The autonomous circulation of Inner Qi cannot be all there is to this stance...

But he hadn’t discovered anything else yet. He had, however, made up his mind. He was determined to practice this Nameless Stance seventy-two times daily to uncover any hidden secrets of Shangguan Yun’s Martial Arts within it.

However, to be honest, today’s gains weren’t just the Nameless Stance, but also the content I surmised from lip-reading the exchange between County Magistrate Shangguan and Counselor Suiyou. A thoughtful flash passed through Chen Ku’s eyes. It’s almost certain that Shangguan Yun has pinpointed the location of the Hero King Treasure; he just can’t enter it yet. But... I’m different. I possess the underground palace map.

With this thought, Chen Ku immediately chose to elevate the Golden-eyed White Jade Sculpture to the Transformation Level within the Transformation Diagram.

[Golden-eyed White Jade Sculpture Transformation · Transformation Level]

Upon this transformation, Chen Ku suddenly felt that, in addition to the Demonic Qi inherent to the Golden-eyed White Jade Sculpture he had cultivated, the thirty-six strands of Evil Qi bestowed upon him an additional Demonic Qi equivalent to that of a First Realm Demon.

Feeling the Demonic Qi equivalent to two First Realm Demons augmenting him, plus the Demonic Qi of the Flower Fox Mink, Chen Ku conceived a bold idea.

Let’s also manifest Ling. She’s a master of the Inner Qi Realm who possesses various Martial Arts, the spiritual cultivation techniques of the Peace Path, and most importantly, an exceptionally gifted spirit...

At this thought, Chen Ku couldn’t help but close his eyes and chant silently, All is for cultivation. Skin and appearance are but skulls and bones. My heart remains unchanged; external appearances are mere illusions...

After muttering this for a long time, he finally mustered the courage.

[Ling Transformation! Transform!]

[Ignite nine strands of Evil Qi from the Fire Beak Pot and inject them into the Ling Transformation...]

[Ling Transformation · Transformation Level]

[Realm: Early Inner Qi]

[Root Bone: Medium]

[Talent: Spiritual power twice that of a normal human]

[Skills Learned: Summoning God Scripture Internal Qi Chapter (Minor Achievement), Peace Talisman-Making Method (Minor Achievement), Daughter’s Sword Technique (Great Achievement), Disguise Technique (Perfection), Cooking (Minor Achievement), Ordinary Flying Knife Technique (Minor Achievement), Butterfly Steps (Great Achievement)...]

In the room, Chen Ku transformed into a woman dressed in men’s clothing—precisely the Ling he had killed. Her smaller frame made her clothes seem rather large.

In an instant, he reverted to his original appearance, silently absorbing and assimilating Ling’s Cultivation Realm and all the knowledge and abilities she had mastered.

Regarding the realm, there wasn’t much to say. Chen Ku felt that with both the Flower Fox Mink and the White Feathered Golden Eyes Eagle active at the Transformation Level, a total of four streams of Demonic Qi were augmenting him, bringing his internal Qi Power to a state infinitely close to Full Qi. Now, with the additional Inner Qi from Ling, his Qi Power, originally at the late-stage Robust Qi, instantly expanded, capable of diffusing to every blood vessel in his body. This was similar to how the Skinny Dog Transformation and White Elephant Transformation had once augmented his strength, turning it into Divine Power.

The Demonic Qi and Inner Qi from the transformations on the Transformation Diagram could also form Chen Ku’s cultivation base, provided these transformations remained active on the diagram. If unequipped, he would revert to his original cultivation.

As for Root Bone, Chen Ku’s own Root Bone wasn’t particularly remarkable; it was merely augmented by the power of the Transformation Diagram. Now, this genuine Root Bone enhancement would elevate his own, fundamentally increasing his cultivation speed.

But all this was not the most important aspect. Ling’s Root Bone and talent, at best, gave her slightly more spiritual power than an ordinary person; when superimposed onto him, it meant one day of his cultivation would be equivalent to two days for an ordinary person.

What was most important in the Ling Transformation was... the inheritance and secrets concerning the "Peace Path" that Chen Ku was now gaining.

Summoning God Scripture? Chen Ku looked at this fundamental cultivation scripture of the Peace Path within the Ling Transformation, which directly revealed the source of those mysterious Talisman Papers: In the initial stage of cultivation, one sets up a ritual offering to the ’God of the Yellow Heaven,’ calling upon the God’s omnipresent divine power, scattered throughout heaven and earth, to descend upon oneself during the ritual...

Just from this description, Chen Ku couldn’t help but feel it resembled those ’inviting a god into one’s body’ or ’spirit-writing medium’ ritual cultivation methods. Although he was unsure whether the rules of the Daoist ancestors from his previous life applied in this world, Chen Ku himself strongly believed in the principle that "True Gods do not possess bodies."

Consider this: when true Daoist masters faced various malevolent gods, or even heavenly soldiers and generals, did they ever speak of inviting gods into their bodies? No, it was always about two simple words: "Imperial Command." This meant directly issuing orders, declaring one’s celestial office by the mandate of one’s elders, and commanding certain gods to perform tasks—"Urgently, as per the statutes!"

At this time, Chen Ku felt the Spiritual Force and Qi cultivated from the Summoning God Scripture within the Ling Transformation. Although it was potent and could be used for Drawing Talismans, its origin was too unknown.

This technique must not be cultivated. The consequences of practicing it are too great; I might become a mere attendant of some God of the Yellow Heaven.

Fortunately, the Ling Transformation was just a transformation; it was only effective when active and left no trace when removed.

Chen Ku then looked at the Peace Path Talisman Technique. Within Ling’s memory, she had mastered only the five most basic types of Talisman Paper from the Peace Path: the ’Hunger-Blocking Talisman,’ ’Fire-Starting Talisman,’ ’Dust-Clearing Talisman,’ ’Spirit-Calming Talisman,’ and ’Pain-Free Talisman.’

Chen Ku made a quick analysis. Among them, the Hunger-Blocking Talisman and Pain-Free Talisman didn’t truly stop hunger or eliminate pain but rather worked by blocking the senses. Some Acupoints Striking Martial Arts could achieve similar effects. The Fire-Starting Talisman, Spirit-Calming Talisman, and Dust-Clearing Talisman, however, were more intriguing. They could genuinely produce a small fireball, a gentle breeze, and calm one’s spirit, ensuring a dreamless, good night’s sleep. These feats were beyond the capabilities of Martial Arts and ordinary medicines.

Besides these, among all of Ling’s skills, aside from the useless cooking and Disguise Technique, Chen Ku most valued the Daughter’s Sword Technique and the Butterfly Steps. Although he had never learned Swordsmanship, possessing a great achievement-level Swordsmanship would undoubtedly give him more composure when facing opponents skilled with swords. And then there was the Butterfly Steps, also at great achievement. Both being movement techniques, they would be significantly beneficial for Chen Ku’s cultivation of the ’Piercing Sound Step’—the ’One Pounce Hundred Zhang’ technique—within his Black Tiger Butcher Knife technique.

Slowly opening his eyes, Chen Ku felt the Qi Power bestowed by the three active Transformation Diagrams temporarily pushing him to the state of Full Qi at the Peak of Inner Qi. He carefully calculated which abilities he had traded off by activating these three. The Spirit Ape hadn’t been used in a long time and was removed. The Fierce Tiger was also removed. The Volcanic Crow and Fire Beak Pot transformations were also deactivated, meaning he no longer possessed the Impervious to Flame ability they granted.

Now, the conditions for activating the fourth slot in the Transformation Diagram are almost met. Robust Qi: achieved. One Ultimate Skill at great achievement: achieved. Silver: the combined sum from the shop and my personal savings is barely enough. The Evil Qi of a Peak Demon of the First Realm has also been prematurely sacrificed. The only thing missing now is 10,000 jin of Iron Essence, which isn’t available in Baojiao County. Chen Ku thought to himself, To continue adding abilities, I either have to ask someone to procure Iron Essence, or I must hunt a Second Realm existence to obtain a Second Realm Evil Qi Embryo Form, which would allow the Flower Fox Mink to evolve further...

Chen Ku exhaled slowly, silently analyzing his situation. Then, he headed towards Medicine King Hall.

Perhaps, regarding the Iron Essence, I could ask Master. His Water-Fire Dragon Head Staff contains Iron Essence. If I use the excuse of needing to add weight to my weapon... I should have a decent chance of him showing me a way.

Just like that, Chen Ku arrived at Medicine King Hall.

However, unexpectedly, upon entering Medicine King Hall, before he could even head towards Yang Luochen’s Jinshi Academy, a voice called out from the main hall, "Ah, Junior Brother Chen, you’re here! Look quickly, you’ve made the list!"

Made the list? Chen Ku’s heart stirred. He instinctively thought it was about him being on the "Bounty List," but it seemed unlikely his fellow disciples in the hall would be so pleased about that.

To his surprise, when he took the list and looked.

The Young Masters List.

What is this? Chen Ku was astonished. When did the county get this list?

"You don’t know about it yet?" The apprentices and shop assistants in the hall buzzed with excitement as they explained to Chen Ku, "This was compiled by the Third Young Master of the ’Ming Family’ from the Prefecture City, ranking the young experts in our county. It includes not only us locals but also some young people who’ve recently arrived in Baojiao. You’re currently ranked ninth on this list, even pushing down a young master from the Zhao Family of Prefecture City, who is ranked tenth..."