Cultivation techniques and incantations are all illusory; exchanging for them costs practically nothing. However, items like magical artifacts or blood are entirely different matters. Therefore, to exchange for tangible objects and bring them into the Great Zhou world, one must inevitably pay a much greater price.
“From this, we can see clearly… the Main Temple still exists within a spiritual realm, undergoing a transformation into the material world, at a very preliminary stage… the road ahead is long and arduous…”
Wu Ming glanced at his current status:
[Reincarnator ID: Geng Shen 69]
[Name: Wu Ming]
[Cultivation Level: Physical Body Realm, Fifth Layer Qi]
[Equipment: None]
[Title: Temple Envoy]
“Truly, almost blank stats…”
Wu Ming sighed, then loudly declared, “Main Temple, spend one hundred minor merits to purchase one chance to gain an epiphany of ‘Turtle Qi Cultivation’!”
[Ding! Reincarnator detected with ‘Turtle Qi Cultivation’ technique, requirements met! One hundred minor merits consumed. Epiphany commencing!]
A column of white light descended, enveloping Wu Ming. Almost instantly, he noticed one hundred of his seven hundred and fifty minor merits deducted, leaving him with six hundred and fifty. Naturally, the pain of losing merits was momentary. Soon after, Wu Ming’s consciousness became hazy, as if he had been transported to an ancient wilderness era.
Beside a great river, lush vegetation reached up to the clouds, blocking sunlight and moonlight. Every object around him appeared gigantic, as if he had entered a land of giants.
Within a lowland by the river, a small mountain shaped like a turtle shell suddenly trembled, emitting a roar akin to a dragon or elephant!
Boom! Boom!
As stones rolled away, copious amounts of moss fell, revealing distinctive turtle shell patterns. Four massive legs, covered in scales, webbed between the toes, and ending in sharp claws, emerged from beneath the shell. The entire small mountain stood up, transforming into an ancient divine beast!
“This… with patterns of coiled snakes on its back, harmonizing water and fire, uniting sun and moon—this is the ancient Black Turtle!”
Wu Ming’s heart trembled with awe, deeply imprinting this scene into his memory.
In the next instant, he returned to the Main Temple space, realizing that what he had just seen was merely an illusion.
But even a single glimpse was enough to leave him with an indelible sense of that ancient, desolate atmosphere.
“Though the divine turtle may live long, its time will come. The serpent soaring through mists will eventually turn to dust…,” Wu Ming murmured. A surge of sorrow welled up within him, evoking a sense of life’s brevity and the ephemeral nature of the mundane world, leading to a profound realization of transcendence.
In this state of mind, his energy subtly transformed. The original breathing technique of the Turtle Qi Cultivation shifted, becoming deeper and more tranquil, exuding a sense of true serenity.
From nothingness to stillness, naturally attaining tranquility; without knowledge yet possessing spirit—this is true stillness!
Thus, the Turtle Qi Cultivation was not only fully grasped but had entered a mysteriously profound state.
[Turtle Qi Cultivation (Introductory Level)]
After an unknown amount of time, Wu Ming gazed at the prompt appearing in his personal attributes, his eyes filled with emotion. “Wu Qing said this ‘Turtle Qi Cultivation’ evolved from Daoist techniques, and indeed, there is something to it… The Main Temple truly delivers as promised!”
Originally, with his talent, even if he devoted himself to diligent cultivation of the Turtle Qi method, entering the introductory level wouldn’t have been a quick process. Identifying acupoints and guiding the flow of energy through meridians required utmost caution, leaving no room for error. Even prodigies needed to carefully verify their understanding before attempting practice.
At that pace, even though Wu Ming had previously cultivated the related ‘Turtle Breathing Method,’ it would have taken at least a hundred days to barely reach the introductory level.
But now?
After just one epiphany, Wu Ming felt his internal energy completely transformed. Moreover, his breathing became long and subtle, almost instinctive, embodying the mastery that comes from extensive practice.
“This single step has saved me at least half a year of effort!”
Wu Ming was very satisfied. He browsed the extensive list of exchangeable items, especially the section on witchcraft and Daoist techniques, feeling somewhat regretful.
“Wu Qing mentioned she’s working on getting me into the Daoist Academy. Although I was rejected once before, she seems to have some confidence… In that case, I shouldn’t practice techniques from other categories. Otherwise, impure energy might be the least of my worries; I might even be mistaken for a spy from another sect, a stain I couldn’t wash away even by jumping into the Yellow River…”
He decided not to rely on the Main Temple for anything he could obtain from the Great Zhou world, establishing this as his general principle.
Take this instance, for example: from Wu Qing, he received the ‘Turtle Qi Cultivation’ and a low-grade magical artifact, the Black Gold Ring, worth nearly a thousand minor merits.
“I should conserve my merits. Unless absolutely necessary, before undertaking tasks or when fully prepared, I mustn’t act rashly!”
Wu Ming continued browsing the exchange list.
With his True Vision, he ignored any items marked as unavailable. Even so, the Main Temple’s offerings were more than sufficient for his needs.
“With such powerful tools at hand, what Dao cannot be cultivated?”
The more he browsed, the more confidence he gained.
Poverty plagues scholars, while wealth empowers warriors; cultivating magic requires substantial resources. Among these, wealth is the most crucial.
Though direct exchanges weren’t possible, Wu Ming extensively studied the options, gaining insight into many things.
Even the most basic spells required bizarre and exotic materials.
Iron fetuses, gold essence, silver amber were trivial matters. The materials needed for obscure spells were the real headache.
Take, for example, the “Binding Yin Rope” technique, which required collecting baby hair from forty-nine different female infants born on Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, and Yin hour!
Another example, the “Funeral Gate Nail,” required iron nails from a coffin buried for over a hundred years in a yin-drenched grave of a willow wood coffin, with requirements on the deceased’s cause of death, fate, and even birth chart!
Not to mention top-grade cinnabar, talisman paper aged for six or seven years, and herbs aged for decades or even centuries.
In short, there’s nothing in the cultivation world that isn’t required!
Some of these materials couldn’t simply be bought with money; wealth and influence were both indispensable!
“No wonder Wu Qing wants to enter the Daoist Academy. Setting aside the transmission of techniques, just these miscellaneous requirements are beyond what a small family like the Wu’s can provide…”
Wu Ming rubbed his eyes. “However… within the Main Temple, these materials are all available, as long as one has sufficient merits. With such convenience, not planning properly would be a shame… but…”
Wu Ming then considered another inconvenient aspect.
If bringing items into the Main Temple incurred a fee, it made sense that taking them out would also cost.
Following the Main Temple’s mercantile practices, charging twice for a single exchange was typical. Not charging for both ways would be against all reason!
In other words, items obtained from the Main Temple could only be used within its space. Attempting to take them out for trade? Ha! The taxes alone would leave you bankrupt and vomiting blood!
“What a pity… what a pity…”
Wu Ming immediately felt disheartened. “If my privileges could waive this layer of exploitation, I could probably get rich just by trading goods…”
…
“…Suddenly a madman sharpens his knife at night, the Emperor Star wavers as Mars ascends. From this moment on, turning heaven and earth upside down, why bother sparing one’s hands in killing…”
Inside the study, Wu Ming held a book, his expression dazed.
On the title page of the ancient text, the words “Historical Discourses and Miscellaneous Talks, Volume Seven” were clearly written in black ink on white paper.
Since he had come to Great Zhou, he couldn’t afford to ignore history. The Wu family, although not particularly scholarly, still possessed a few books for show, especially since the previous wastrel heir had been uneducated.
Now, these books benefited Wu Ming.
“After the Great Xia came the Great Shang. The last Shang Emperor was tyrannical, and then the Great Zhou Ancestor rose to power, stabilizing Central China, two hundred and seventy years ago…”
“In the seventh year of Yongping during the Great Zhou reign, Emperor Ling was on the throne. A severe drought struck the capital region, leaving the land barren for a thousand miles. A rebel named Huang Jie took advantage of the chaos, wreaking havoc in the capital area, forcing Emperor Ling to relocate the capital. Soon after, the emperor died of worry and fear… It took seventeen years to quell this rebellion, known in history as the Yongping Rebellion… Since then, the Great Zhou dynasty has declined. Several emperors died within three years of ascending the throne until the current young emperor took power, reigning under the era name ‘Ping An,’ though he is but a boy of about ten years old…”
Wu Ming sighed, closing the book. “The country lacks a strong ruler, the state continues to decline, with powerful ministers inside and regional lords, warlords, and military governors outside… The rise of the Hundred Schools heralds a truly chaotic era… No wonder I must reside in a fortified manor…”
“But whether the world is in chaos or not has little to do with a small fry like me. Most importantly, why does this rebel poem by Huang Jie sound so familiar?”
Wu Ming tapped his head, somewhat exasperatedly putting the book down and preparing to head to the training ground.
“Familiar… Could it be that there are many transmigrators in this world?”
Wu Ming’s eyes glazed over, when suddenly a sharp pain struck his chest.
“Ah!”
A girl’s pained cry came, followed by the sound of cups and dishes crashing to the ground.
“Forgive me! Forgive me!” The girl in a light green ruqun apologized repeatedly, but Wu Ming was momentarily stunned.
“Ah? Miss Xiu Yun, it’s you!”
Wu Ming recognized her. This young lady before him was none other than Li Xiu Yun from before.
Back then, he had been afraid to face her, hiding in the study all along. Later, when Wu Qing returned, she naturally didn’t hold back with Li Xiu Yun, expelling her from Wu Ming’s bedroom and reclaiming his “territory.”
Since then, Wu Ming had rarely seen her, unaware of where she had been reassigned.
Now, it seemed her situation wasn’t too good.
“Stand up!”
Wu Ming extended his hand to help her, but seeing her frightened, deer-like gaze, he awkwardly withdrew his hand.
“Miss Xiu Yun… I’m sorry. I’ll have someone send you home right away!”
Knowing she had been intentionally avoiding him and was extremely afraid of him, Wu Ming said.
“No! No! I don’t want to go home. Master Ming, have mercy! I’m willing to do anything, please don’t send me away!”
Unexpectedly, upon hearing that she was to be sent home, Li Xiu Yun became even more terrified, even trembling all over.
Wu Ming even suspected she would throw herself at his feet in the next moment, so he couldn’t help but feel curious. “What exactly is going on? Just tell me directly!”
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