“Lord Lingbao?” Meng Qi hesitated for a moment, suddenly feeling uneasy.
His uneasiness was entirely different from others—not because he was about to meet the leader of an immortal sect, a supreme master whose strength remained unknown—but because he was wearing the mask of “Yuanshi Tianzun.” Within the Daoist tradition, his status surpassed even that of Lingbao Tianzun. Given the possible “legends of the Fengshen era,” would he end up being attacked?
How would someone react upon seeing a minor cultivator without even reaching the Exoteric Realm daring to wear the “Yuanshi Tianzun” mask?
Before Meng Qi could dwell further, green light surged, and Lady Bixia quickly brought him to the front of Biyou Palace. Passing through the quiet yet serene halls and winding corridors that seemed to ascend to the heavens, they arrived at the main hall.
Meng Qi steadied himself, his expression turning grave. His thoughts raced as he pondered the identity of Lingbao Tianzun—could he be someone from his own world, or perhaps a figure from formidable realms like the Investiture of the Gods or the Journey to the West universes?
Pushing open the slightly ajar palace door, Meng Qi’s first sight was a Daoist practitioner, seemingly the sole existence in the entire universe!
He wore the youthful and solemn “Lingbao Tianzun” mask, his jet-black hair tied in a Daoist bun, adorned with a bamboo crown. His slim yet sturdy figure, neither frail nor thin despite his tall stature, was draped in a water-blue Daoist robe that fluttered in the wind, as if coexisting with heaven and earth.
Meng Qi could not discern his depth; the figure before him appeared like both a clear, tranquil pond and an endless, boundless ocean.
“Greetings, Lord Tianzun.” Led by Lady Bixia, Meng Qi bowed.
Suspended at Lingbao Tianzun’s waist was a long sword, its sharpness concealed, seemingly ordinary. Yet the sight of the two ancient seal script characters engraved upon it—Qing Ping—made Meng Qi’s pupils contract.
The calligraphy radiated an earthly fire and embodied feng shui, while gazing upon it evoked the profound awe of the universe’s inception.
“Surely it’s not that legendary Qing Ping sword…” Meng Qi’s expression shifted slightly, though his mask concealed it.
As if guessing his thoughts, Lingbao Tianzun chuckled, “This sword is a replica crafted by Yunzhongzi. I carry it merely as a memento. The genuine one remains where it was, and I cannot retrieve it for now.”
No wonder Yunzhongzi, a master of forging artifacts, would have a fellow sect member bearing his title… Meng Qi felt both surprise and amusement.
Lingbao Tianzun’s voice was aged yet refined: “I speak of the real Yunzhongzi, the one before his passing.”
“The real one?” Shock surged in Meng Qi’s eyes, impossible to hide.
Lingbao Tianzun changed the subject: “The Immortal Sect lacks sufficient members, each occupied with personal duties, making long-term protection of you impractical. Seeing your safe return and cultivation progress brings me great joy.”
The Immortal Sect had only twenty to thirty official members, most holding prominent public identities and needing to attend to the cycle of rebirth. Occasionally protecting Meng Qi was manageable, but long-term protection was beyond their capacity—a drawback common to elite organizations.
As for the probationary members, who protected whom was questionable.
“One must walk their own path. If you always rely on the Immortal Sect’s protection, where is the room for growth?” Meng Qi replied without resentment.
“Higao acts recklessly and favors sudden attacks. I momentarily failed to keep up with him,” Lingbao Tianzun added with a smile, “By the way, how many techniques have you grasped from the ‘Only I Am Supreme’?”
“Four Exoteric-level techniques of mediocre quality. However, due to insufficient merit and lack of time to visit the Immortal Bazaar, I exchanged one for the Six Paths,” Meng Qi answered candidly.
Lingbao Tianzun nodded slightly: “No problem. Would you like to exchange the remaining three with me? On one condition: they must not be exchanged with the Six Paths again. However, you may still teach them to others, provided the recipients also refrain from exchanging them with the Six Paths, and the fewer people involved, the better.”
Before Lingbao Tianzun, the usually bold and outspoken Lady Bixia remained silent, though Meng Qi sensed her growing strength compared to last time.
“Agreed.” Meng Qi readily accepted, adding, “Junior wishes to exchange for the Exoteric section of the ‘Bagua Xuangong’ from the Immortal Sect.”
Lingbao Tianzun replied, “Certainly, and it will be cheaper than from the Six Paths. However, it is a technique under the title ‘Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun,’ so you must not pass it on after cultivation.”
“Junior will sign a contract,” Meng Qi replied without hesitation.
Lingbao Tianzun extended his hand, the world spun, and the scene shifted. The three arrived before the central jade pillar in the Immortal Bazaar.
“The Six Paths are always fair to young and old alike,” he chuckled.
Knowing this was a prompt to approach the Six Paths for appraisal, Meng Qi placed his hand on the luminous pillar, visualizing the techniques in his mind:
“Formless Chan Blade, an Exoteric masterpiece, a blade born from emptiness… valued at 1,300 merits, fully redeemable as it’s not on the exchange list.”
“Eight Divinities Dragon Sword Art, an Exoteric masterpiece, a complete sword set containing five opening moves: Seeking Fragrance in the Hidden, Golden Eagle Pecking Snake, Asura’s Single Slash, Sword Melody Lingering, Serpent’s Mouth Swallowing Elephant, plus three Exoteric killing moves: Celestial Lightning Throw, Nine Dragons’ Head Dive, Yecha’s Fiery Sky… valued at 1,900 merits, fully redeemable as it’s not on the exchange list.”
“Immovable Vajra Art, an Exoteric technique for self-cultivation, forms the Immovable Vajra Dharma Body and manifests intangible wrathful fire… Priced at 2,700 merits, it is fully redeemable as it is not listed on the exchange.”
Still short of eight thousand… Meng Qi slightly frowned and retrieved additional items.
“Snow Python Gall, a century-old specimen, valued at 300 merits for clearing the mind and aiding medicinal formulations.”
The Ink Jade Killing Sword, a treasure-grade artifact, is a bone sword forged from the cultivator’s left arm and refined techniques, infused with numerous rare materials. It enables the wielder to surpass their cultivation level, though mastery is arduous. Should the cultivator’s willpower falter, the sword may dominate them, transforming them into a mindless slaughtering demon…
Wielding this blade severs all vitality, weakens adversaries in combat, and upon striking, its killing intent invades the opponent’s body, corroding their primordial spirit and depleting their true qi. Without prompt intervention, both spiritual essence and physical form will collapse…
Valued at 2,400 merit points, redeemable for 1,500 merit points.
Seeing the bone sword, Lingbao Tianzun mused, “Would you also exchange this sword with me? It’s quite intriguing…”
Meng Qi was more than willing; this would earn him more merits.
He gave no thought to studying the bone sword or deciphering the Wolf King’s techniques, for their paths diverged, and cooperation was futile.
Thus, Lingbao Tianzun approached the central jade pillar, exchanged a few miscellaneous items, and gathered enough merits to purchase Meng Qi’s three techniques and the Ink Jade Killing Sword, totaling 8,300 merits. Meng Qi then exchanged the Snow Python Gall with the Six Paths, accumulating 8,610 merits in total.
This should be enough for the Exoteric section of the Bagua Xuangong… Meng Qi exhaled deeply. Although a cycle mission was imminent and acquiring secret treasures was advisable, missing this opportunity meant uncertain years to accumulate such merits—at his current level. The 500-year Bodhi Seed had already been used once, its effect diminished unless he could obtain a thousand-year one.
Moreover, with the Exoteric section as a reference, having reached the culmination of Heaven-Man Unity and a clear path, he had a fair chance of breakthrough within a short time—far more beneficial than secret treasures!
“Lord Tianzun, may I ask how many merits the Bagua Xuangong’s Exoteric section requires?” Meng Qi eagerly asked Lingbao Tianzun.
Lingbao Tianzun chuckled, “Normally eight to nine thousand, but I’ll personally subsidize you—eight thousand.”
“Great, thank you, Lord Tianzun!” Meng Qi accepted directly, without hesitation, modesty, or embarrassment.
Lady Bixia’s gaze at Meng Qi clearly said, “Never seen such a shamelessly bold person,” though upon reflection, she realized she would have agreed just as readily…
This time, Lingbao Tianzun led the two to the Biyou Palace archives, deducted 8,000 merits, and handed Meng Qi a jade slip inscribed in seal script: “Exoteric Section of Bagua Xuangong.”
Ignoring the presence of others, Meng Qi immediately began absorbing the contents of the jade slip. Endless, profound words and wondrous, indescribable scenes gradually unfolded in his mind.
“There are cultivation methods integrating my own path, though slight adjustments are needed…” Meng Qi finally relaxed.
This adjustment wasn’t arbitrary; the Exoteric section contained detailed interpretations of the general principles and references of other paths, eliminating the need for independent exploration.
Then, he frowned: “Yuanshi’s principles truly harmonize with Bagua Xuangong, showing no contradiction with the general principles…”
Previously, he had worried his preliminary path might be too arbitrary, requiring gradual reference from various techniques, step by step, like feeling one’s way across a river.
Certainly, Bagua Xuangong alone wasn’t enough. At the Exoteric stage, he would definitely need the “Yuanshi Jinzhang” Exoteric section under his title for reference—his path differed from predecessors, and to walk more steadily and higher, he must extensively study and refine details at the Exoteric stage!
Continuing to browse, he was pleased to discover “Bagua Xuangong” finally contained Exoteric techniques!
“Initially capable of emulating the heavens and the earth, manifesting a two-headed, four-armed form—though unsustainable—effectively doubling attacks for a short duration. Upon reaching the Dharma Body stage, it evolves into three heads and six arms…”
“From the initial Exoteric stage’s ultimate number nine transformation to the Earthly Fiend number transformation at the semi-Dharmakaya stage…”
“Hmm, the Exoteric techniques feel strange…”
Probably guessing Meng Qi’s confusion due to Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun’s prior cultivation, Lingbao Tianzun lightly chuckled, “Bagua Xuangong only contains Dharmakaya techniques. All Exoteric techniques were personally deduced by past cultivators from the Dharmakaya techniques.”
“No wonder…” Meng Qi suddenly understood, as the Exoteric techniques he saw were named: Qi Tian Dao Hai Staff Art, Yuxi Qingyuan Blade Art, Solar Tathagata Sword Art, and Ta Xu Jin Dou Footwork.
If Ta Xu Jin Dou Footwork was cultivated to the Dharmakaya stage, one could form a cloud of somersaults.
“Ten thousand merits were truly worth every penny…” Meng Qi’s face nearly cracked from smiling, especially since he bought it for 8,000 merits.
Of course, his mask concealed his expression, maintaining a solemn visage.
Lingbao Tianzun, never idle, soon departed. Lady Bixia stared at Meng Qi for a long moment before saying, “Spending 8,000 merits at once, does it feel especially exhilarating?”
Meng Qi pondered, “Exhilarating, yes, but also painful…”
Lady Bixia empathized, nodding heavily.
Their eyes met, and a sense of mutual understanding arose between them.
“You’re only one task away from applying for the official member assessment. Don’t you want the ‘Yuanshi Jinzhang’ Exoteric section?” Lady Bixia reminded.
How could Meng Qi not have thought of it? He hurried to the Immortal Bazaar, checking various jade pillars for tasks. Unfortunately, most exceeded his capabilities or were located in different worlds, inaccessible without a Reincarnation Talisman.
There was one suitable task, but it was in the capital city. Meng Qi instinctively dismissed it—he didn’t lack trouble already!
“I guess I’ll have to wait until next time.” Meng Qi glanced at the notes inside the small stone house but found nothing significant.
Lady Bixia, always frugal, certainly wouldn’t gift Meng Qi a Reincarnation Talisman, only watching him leave.
…
Over a month later, light and shadows shifted, and Meng Qi appeared in the Reincarnation Plaza.
He sighed slightly; time was ultimately too short, still needing refinement before breakthrough.
“Strange, where are they?” Meng Qi frowned.
He didn’t see Zhao Heng, Qi Zhengyan, or Ruan Yushu.
At that moment, the Six Paths Reincarnation Lord’s indifferent voice echoed: “Times change, seas turn to mulberry fields. Ancient greats no longer appear, martial cultivation declines.”
“Nowadays, the capital of Southern Jin hides turbulent undercurrents, brewing storms.”
“Main Task One: Within two months, reach the capital and reunite with Zhao Heng and others. Success unlocks Main Task Two; failure results in annihilation.”
“The capital…” Meng Qi immediately felt an inescapable sense of karmic inevitability.
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