Time to Upgrade the Narrator Cheat!

"Master, now that you've returned from the Demon Realm, did you kill that demoness?" Shi Shaojian asked meekly. With that, he stepped back two paces, preparing himself for a beating from his father. Yet soon enough, he noticed a problem. Namely, Shi Jian ignored him completely— The kind of ignoring where he didn't spare him so much as a glance! At this moment, Shi Jian not only had no intention of entertaining Shi Shaojian's thoughts, but his mind was occupied with Daoist scriptures he had read in the past. In a mere snap of the fingers, a passage from the *Zhouyi Cantong Qi* surfaced in his thoughts: *"The sun bestows virtue; the moon diffuses light. The moon receives the sun's transformation, its form unharmed by depletion."* At the same time, he recalled what was written in the *Daode Zhigui Lun*: *"Though its substance is dark, it brightens upon reflecting the sun."* And from the *Yi Bie Wai Zhuan*: *"In my humble view, the sun is the Greater Yang and the moon is the Greater Yin. The moon intrinsically possesses no light; the light of the moon is but the light of the sun."* If even Daoist Qianhe knew these things, there was no reason Shi Jian would not. Knowing even more, Shi Jian sank into bewilderment. Moreover, he could not understand. He knew moonlight was the reflection of sunlight, and he certainly knew the moon was present during the day as well. But moonlight and Moonlight Essence were two entirely different things. By the same token, sunlight and Solar Essence were also two entirely different things. Shi Jian maintained as expressionless a face as possible as he looked at Liu Xiu—who disregarded the resonant summons of qi, ignored how Greater Yin conceals itself when Yang flourishes, and disregarded how Greater Yang hides when Yang wanes, truly acting in defiance of the shifts of celestial seasons. *Hiss*, how bizarre. His disciple seemed even more formidable than he was! An inner miniature version of Shi Jian sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. Even now, he could neither fathom nor understand how on earth Liu Xiu managed it. While he was watching Liu Xiu, Liu Xiu was also watching Shi Jian. Looking at Shi Jian's expression and complexion, Liu Xiu wondered in confusion: *Are Master's injuries really that severe?* Watching Shi Jian's complexion turn pale for an instant before quickly recovering, Liu Xiu silently thought that the fiend must be truly terrifying, and that said fiend must have ambushed Shi Jian. "Try it again..." Ignoring Shi Shaojian once more, Shi Jian spoke to Liu Xiu. He asked this because he suspected Liu Xiu might have been born with divine abilities like Shifting the Stars and Changing the Constellations or influencing temporal cycles, which would explain how he could borrow Solar Essence beneath the night sky. Otherwise, he could not comprehend it. Nor could he explain it! "Oh, okay..." With a *whoosh*, Liu Xiu slashed another arc of Solar Essence sword qi into midair. Shi Jian's mouth twitched twice as he stared up at the star-studded night sky. It was certain now: Liu Xiu had no divine ability! It was also certain that there was something wrong with Liu Xiu! "Inborn anomaly... a divine being?" Shi Jian swallowed down the fresh blood welling up in his throat again, coming up with the phrasing, while feeling that his own cultivation was still far too low. Come to think of it, that made sense. After all, of his Three Calamities and Nine Hardships, he had only crossed one hardship three months ago; he was still a long way from achieving immortality. "Master, I'm talking to you!" The speaker was Shi Shaojian, his fists tightly clenched. As he spoke, he gla—lowered his head and said meekly to Shi Jian, who was ignoring him, "You could at least answer me..." "...No!" Shi Jian said with a frosty expression, glaring at Shi Shaojian who was irritating him to no end. Shi Shaojian lifted his head, blinked, and said, "Master, I don't think you need to spare her life on my account. Of course, sparing her is fine too—*cough, cough, cough*—what I mean is... even though she's a demon..." "..." *I swear, fuck your mother!* Shi Jian couldn't be bothered to listen to or look at Shi Shaojian anymore. Forcing down the rage in his chest, he sent a voice transmission to Liu Xiu: "On this trip to the Demon Realm, although I blasted the person secretly aiding the demoness to death, I did not kill the demoness directly..." "Huh?" A curious look entered Liu Xiu's eyes. Then, he heard Shi Jian continue via voice transmission: "The reason I did not kill her is that she is tied to the return of a Buddhist Arhat to his seat. Thus, I merely subdued and sealed her in an ominous ground in the Demon Realm. When the time comes..." "...which is to say, before the Ghost Festival, I will naturally release her. As for you, even if I don't remind you then or if I forget, you must remember to go with your Senior Brother Shaojian before the Ghost Festival to the Weibo Sect located in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region..." "Oh, okay..." *To snatch merit? Or something else?* Noticing the solemn tone at the end of Shi Jian's words, Liu Xiu's heart stirred. Seeing that Shi Jian had no intention of elaborating, he lowered his voice and asked instead: "By the way, Master, when Grand-Master Tianning took me flying today... she said I had severed my own Upper Corpse. Is that true or false? Could she be tricking me?" "Is it possible... that she was mistaken?" Compared to Shi Shaojian, who was still rambling about the demoness, Liu Xiu's conduct brought considerable gratification to Shi Jian's heart—gratified that Liu Xiu would tell him about this matter. Even though, even if Liu Xiu hadn't told him, Perfected Tianning had already mentioned beforehand that there was something unusual about Liu Xiu's Three Corpses. "Mistaken?" *Wait, why does everyone have a different take?!* Liu Xiu looked at Shi Jian in confusion. Shi Jian glanced at Shi Shaojian, who was still chattering away endlessly, held back his anger, and rapidly sent a voice transmission: "The Upper Corpse is named Pengju, also called Qinggu. It governs adornment and finery, darkens the eyes and wrinkles the face, and drives people to covet empty fame, indulge in rivalry, and crave worldly glory... Having no obsessions doesn't mean you don't possess one; perhaps you have simply... been through too much!" He remarked that Liu Xiu had been through a lot mainly because he had heard the verse title Liu Xiu used to describe himself from Patriarch Zongyan. By the way, one thing worth mentioning: Daoist Qianhe had taken an accidental spill earlier today, swelling his lips! Pulling his thoughts back to the previous topic, Shi Jian knew Liu Xiu had endured hardships, but he had never imagined Liu Xiu had suffered so much. Of course, another crucial point was that if Liu Xiu had truly severed the Upper Corpse, his immortal feature, Jade Eyes and Square Pupils, ought to have been fully mastered long ago. Therefore, he believed Liu Xiu had not severed the Upper Corpse! Naturally, he could not guarantee his own view was absolute truth; from his perspective alone, Liu Xiu hadn't severed it. As for Perfected Tianning's view, he couldn't be certain she was wrong either—after all, he himself had not yet reached the realm of severing the Three Corpses. "Oh, I see..." *Got it, just a matter of personal opinion, right!* Liu Xiu nodded in understanding, feeling that Shi Jian's assessment aligned closely with his own thoughts—Perfected Tianning was probably mistaken. After all, he had destroyed the narrator cheat once earlier today, and after destroying it, he hadn't felt the slightest shift in his emotions. "As for your immunity to illusions... it might be an innate talent of yours... or perhaps an ability granted by Jade Eyes and Square Pupils!" Recalling what Perfected Tianning had said, Shi Jian continued his voice transmission. Liu Xiu nodded, wanting to ask more. However, when he saw Shi Shaojian beginning to beat around the bush, asking where the demoness had been sealed in the Demon Realm, and then saw Shi Jian's face darkening by the second, Liu Xiu cleared his throat. Pointing toward High Trees Forest ahead, where sinister qi still lingered, Liu Xiu said, "Master, Senior Brother, I'll head into High Trees Forest first to cultivate my immortal features!" Coming to High Trees Forest tonight was not only for Shi Jian to purge the radiation in the woods, but primarily for Liu Xiu to use the radiation field once more to cultivate his two unfinished immortal features. "Mm, go on!" A stiff smile stretched across Shi Jian's face. Liu Xiu told the black jiangshi to quickly find a corner to hide in, then broke into a brisk jog into High Trees Forest. Barely a dozen seconds later, Liu Xiu, now inside High Trees Forest, saw a searing white flash of lightning flare across the night sky— followed by a blood-curdling scream that cut off abruptly! *Tsk, hope he's still in one piece!* Liu Xiu's inner miniature clasped hands together and chanted a prayer. Arriving at the spot in High Trees Forest where they had fought previously, he retrieved a prayer mat, placed it on the ground, and sat down. He then pulled out the medicinal herbs required for cultivating the immortal features, poured them into his mouth, washed them down with water, and began cultivating. There was no quiet environment for meditation. There was only the occasional searing white lightning flashing across the night sky and Shi Shaojian's shrieks, making Liu Xiu feel that his senior brother's life was truly miserable! *Sigh, in the future, I won't... well, I'll try to screw him over a little less!* Liu Xiu sighed inwardly. As he popped his medicine and used the radiation field to cultivate, he inspected the narrator cheat inside his Purple Palace. *Looks like I really overthought things earlier. You're not the incarnation of my Upper Corpse at all. Then again, my Upper Corpse couldn't possibly be this pathetic—besides, I'm not this demonic...* Just as he thought this, the voice of the narrator cheat abruptly rang out: [Jie-jie-jie... Dominate the cultivation realms across the myriad heavens!] [Jie-jie-jie... Dominate the cultivation realm!] "..." It was certain now. This damn thing was definitely not an Upper Corpse! His inner miniature shook its head, still refusing to believe the narrator cheat was his Upper Corpse, convinced it was just a cheat he had cobbled together himself. *So did I actually sever the Upper Corpse or not? Forget it, forget it, whatever. If two people stronger than me can't figure it out, how could I? It's more important to finish cultivating the remaining two immortal features and figure out how to upgrade the narrator cheat...* Liu Xiu planned to upgrade the narrator cheat because of its three annotations. According to his interpretation of them, a White Jade Cicada was bound to remain in his possession. In other words, the narrator cheat was locked onto him permanently! He no longer had to worry about breaking it; even if it broke, another narrator cheat would end up in his hands anyway. At this point, the narrator cheat was essentially a magic treasure with the property of "once acquired, held forever," and one exclusively restricted to his use. "But in what direction should I upgrade my narrator cheat..." Liu Xiu pondered directions for developing new features while cultivating. The cultivation process was no different from before, still relying on the amplified radiation to accelerate the oxidation of free lead and mercury ions in his body, rapidly filtering them out through his kidneys. Under the influence of the radiation field, his two immortal features—Jade Eyes and Square Pupils, and No Shadow at Noon—advanced at a speed visible to the naked eye. As these two immortal features advanced, they indirectly drove the advancement of the Three-Light Primordial Magnetism Body-Refining Art and the Guishui Yin Thunder, resembling someone stepping on their left foot to boost their right. The only catch was that his HP was steadily dropping! Watching Liu Xiu cultivate from outside the forest, Shi Jian remained utterly speechless. With an expression resembling the meme of an old man squinting at a subway phone, he stared at Liu Xiu, who looked nothing like an orthodox cultivator in meditation no matter how one looked at him. And furthermore, was this how the elixir path was supposed to be practiced? Who told you to use your own body as an alchemy furnace?! Shi Jian then looked down at Shi Shaojian, who was still asking where the demoness had been sealed even while cultivating. A searing white bolt of lightning lashed out. As Shi Shaojian shrieked in agony, Shi Jian silently closed his eyes and began divining what kind of unforgivable, wrath-inducing sins he had committed in his past life. Also, whoever taught Liu Xiu this elixir path, please step forward yourself. He had no other intentions—he just wanted to "thank" them! Time slipped by in haste. In the blink of an eye, two hours passed. [Name: Liu Xiu] [Age: 18] [Realm: Hundred-Day Foundation Building (98/100)] [Thunder Seed: Five Thunders Thunder Seed (1/5)] [Affiliation: Maoshan Sect] [Immortal Features: Jade Eyes and Square Pupils (Completed), No Shadow at Noon (Completed), Ice-Skin Jade-Bones (Completed)] [Cultivation Methods: Celestial Circuit Mercury-Cooking and Stone-Refining Formula (Body-as-Furnace Edition) (Great Accomplishment), Kun-Earth Elixir-Bearing Transformation Method (Great Accomplishment), Three-Light Primordial Magnetism Body-Refining Art (First Layer, Minor Accomplishment), Xuanyuan Soldier-Condensing Water Method (Minor Accomplishment), Golden Light Divine Incantation (Minor Accomplishment)...] [HP: 30%] The remaining thirty percent HP wasn't because Liu Xiu had taken fewer pills this time, but because his overall strength had increased. In short, his health bar had gotten longer. *Not bad, not bad at all. My strength has grown again. Who would've thought even the Body-as-Furnace Edition of the Celestial Circuit Mercury-Cooking and Stone-Refining Formula would advance from Minor Accomplishment to Great Accomplishment...* Liu Xiu gazed in admiration at the attribute panel projected before his eyes via the Golden Light Divine Incantation. By the moonlight, he examined his skin, then took out a mirror to inspect his whole body. "Most importantly... I finally look human again!" Liu Xiu looked at himself in the mirror with satisfaction. Right now, whether in skin tone or eye color, so long as he didn't actively unleash the miraculous anomalies of his immortal features, he looked hardly any different from a normal person. His skin was just slightly pale, but no longer the ghastly corpse-like white of before; it was a normal, fair complexion. Aside from the eerie fact that he still had no shadow, everything else was great! *Reason dictates that since the anomalies of Jade Eyes and Square Pupils as well as Ice-Skin Jade-Bones can both be concealed, there's no reason No Shadow at Noon couldn't be. Could it be because I'm missing the remaining nine immortal features?* Liu Xiu hadn't forgotten Daoist Wang's dying words that his master had nine other immortal features left untaught. Thinking it over, he felt that must be the reason. *I wonder if Daoist Wang's dharma realm has completely collapsed. I'll go take a look when I head back...* Liu Xiu thought. Next, he glanced at the bottles and jars scattered on the ground before him containing arsenic and other medicinal herbs, marveling inwardly: *Who would have thought that besides boosting cultivation, metal and mineral elixirs could actually allow one to experience the great wonders of heaven and earth... Looking at it this way, those ancient seniors were pretty badass!* The reason Liu Xiu spoke of the "great wonders of heaven and earth" was that while completely mastering the remaining two immortal features, he had felt an elusive, hard-to-explain, and difficult-to-describe state of mind. Specifically, from the golden elixir ingredients he swallowed, he sensed the sinking of lead, the floating of mercury, melting and dispersing upon meeting fire, solidifying upon meeting cold, and various other states. This indirectly made him understand what certain books meant when stating that the five metals and eight minerals were themselves a microcosm of the workings of the five elements of heaven and earth. Having gained this enlightenment, Liu Xiu realized that the metal and mineral elixirs he consumed were not merely medicine; swallowing them was a method to let him comprehend the transformations of heaven and earth. At the same time, it allowed him to understand and contemplate the movements of the sun and moon, the interplay of void and substance, and so forth—the core theme being that the Dao resides in the nature of heaven and earth. Of course, Liu Xiu also considered the possibility that he had simply popped too many pills, messing up his brain to the point of hallucinating. *How about another try?* Why not? It wouldn't kill him anyway! Looking at the leftover lead, mercury, and other ingredients in the bottles and jars, Liu Xiu poured them into his mouth under the principle of not letting anything go to waste, washed them into his stomach with water, and began reciting poetry aloud: "Swallowing lead is like swallowing fire, scorching all the way down the throat. Arsenic surpasses it still, rupturing the gut before reaching the stomach. Mercury churns through the belly, iron rust erodes liver and gall; Should you ask which burns the mouth worse, all metals and minerals in the gut are pure disaster." After rattling off the verse, Liu Xiu muttered, "Daoist Lord, I've made it!" then sat cross-legged and resumed circulating the Celestial Circuit Mercury-Cooking and Stone-Refining Formula (Body-as-Furnace Edition) to refine the medicinal potency and solidify his immortal feature realm. Watching Liu Xiu consolidate his cultivation, Shi Jian—who was outside the forest using lightning arts to supervise Shi Shaojian's cultivation—wore an exceptionally grim expression. Again, the same question: He really wanted to know who had taught Liu Xiu this elixir path! Were it not for Liu Xiu being completely fine, he would have suspected someone had conned the boy. Who on earth turned their own body into an alchemy furnace to refine pills?! "Dad, where exactly is that demoness..." "..." Shi Jian didn't want to speak. He simply unleashed a bolt of searing white lightning at Shi Shaojian, who was still distracted during cultivation. Electrocuted, Shi Shaojian screamed and stared at Shi Jian with wide eyes. After thinking for a moment, he understood: *He got a new son and forgot the old one!* Enraged, Shi Shaojian snapped his eyes shut and thought: *Just you wait, old bastard!* *I will prove that I am your strongest son!* *You will regret this!!* "..." Shi Jian knitted his brows as he watched Shi Shaojian's constantly shifting expressions. Then he turned his head to look at Liu Xiu in the forest, who was currently gulping down crane-head red. For a moment, Shi Jian's brows furrowed even deeper. He glanced down at the palm of his left hand behind his back, which was drawing in a total of 3,650 strands of Moonlight Essence every breath. Then, thinking of the Solar Essence that he could never seem to channel down no matter what, and the Solar Essence Liu Xiu had channeled with ease, his Dao heart felt even more distressed! Liu Xiu inside the forest was unaware of Shi Jian's plight, because at this moment he had already thought of a direction for developing the narrator cheat's new feature. *As the saying goes, the jianghu is perilous and human hearts are unfathomable. The deadliest heart belongs to a woman; when petty men succeed, they run rampant, and when gentlemen succeed, they act arrogant... Why not develop an affection-rating system? That way, I can tell at a glance who harbors malice or goodwill toward me...* Popping golden elixir ingredients, Liu Xiu had a sudden flash of inspiration, recalling the *Seven Emotions Undisturbed Emptiness and Stillness True Incantation* that Master Yixiu had given him. Furthermore, he couldn't take any more elixirs! He had to stop for a while! He felt like he was speaking a bit incoherently already! "Eating golden elixir ingredients once a day is bad; binging on metal and mineral herbs non-stop all day is also bad. It seems I should only consume metal and mineral elixir ingredients once every twenty-four hours..." Having said this in his mind, Liu Xiu frowned, patted his head feeling something was off about his words, got up from the prayer mat, and walked over beneath a distant tree to take a leak, discharging the elixir toxins filtered by his kidneys. "Mmh... my piss is poisonous now..." Liu Xiu silently stared at the vegetation that had been scalded dead and blackened by his stream of urine, and at the patch of ground turned entirely barren. *Speaking of which, have I become an emperor too?* Fastening his belt, Liu Xiu—suddenly reminded of a certain Zither Emperor—wore an odd expression as he channeled the Xuanyuan Soldier-Condensing Water Method to conjure water and wash his hands. He returned to the prayer mat, sat down, stowed away the empty bottles and jars, and retrieved the White Jade Cicada with its built-in shielding function. "Reasonably speaking, adding an affection-rating system shouldn't be a problem, right?!" Stroking his chin, Liu Xiu looked at the White Jade Cicada hovering before him. The *Seven Emotions Undisturbed Emptiness and Stillness True Incantation* primarily rejected the approach of emotionless withered stillness, emphasizing observing emotions without clinging to them, and responding to phenomena without becoming deluded by them. In plain terms, it was a method that used one's own seven emotions and six desires to cultivate heart and nature. Since it could use one's own emotions and desires to cultivate the mind, then in Liu Xiu's view, there was no reason this technique couldn't perceive the emotions and desires of others. Besides, the manual explicitly stated that it could sense shifts in other people's seven emotions and six desires. Since it could sense them, then in Liu Xiu's eyes, he could use the emotional emanations directed at him by others to establish a metric for judging benevolence, malice, and goodwill. Then, by gathering data to build a database, he could form an affection-rating system—an immortal-cultivation version of an affection system. "The theory seems solid..." Since there was no issue, time to try it! Liu Xiu began cultivating the *Seven Emotions Undisturbed Emptiness and Stillness True Incantation*, which he had long since memorized, though he didn't feel it doing much to cultivate his mind and nature. "Strange, why don't I feel any emotional ripples in my heart? That shouldn't be. Where's the promised flow of the seven emotions across the heart? What happened to experiencing joy, delight, sorrow, resentment, and grief?" Liu Xiu opened his eyes and looked quizzically at the White Jade Cicada that had flown over to perch on his shoulder. He grabbed it in one hand and began refining it. *Programmer mode—activate!* *Electrical engineer mode—activate!* *Affection system—1%!* Although he didn't feel the unique emotional fluctuations that came with practicing the *Seven Emotions Undisturbed Emptiness and Stillness True Incantation*, that didn't mean he hadn't mastered the technique. Having already brought this method to the Entry level, he followed the steps for crafting the narrator cheat, layering the immortal-path affection system on top like a mountain of spaghetti code. Liu Xiu wasn't worried about Shi Jian seeing it either; after all, the narrator cheat possessed an innate shielding function, so Shi Jian couldn't see it at all. He simply used the artifact-crafting technique, the Three Fields True Fire Spirit-Nurturing Treasure-Refining Incantation, to gradually burn the *Seven Emotions Undisturbed Emptiness and Stillness True Incantation* into the White Jade Cicada. Time flew by. Half an hour passed. "Condense!" Liu Xiu formed a hand seal to conclude the Three Fields True Fire Spirit-Nurturing Treasure-Refining Incantation, wrapping up this upgrade. With an odd expression, he looked at the White Jade Cicada, which, due to running out of memory, had a layer of white jade refined onto it, encasing it in an outer white jade cicada shell. "Am I... forging history?" *The White Jade Cicada from the past was crafted by me?* Liu Xiu looked in bewilderment at the White Jade Cicada in his hand, which could not merely be called identical to the White Jade Cicada before it molted—it was completely indistinguishable. Then that brought up a question: How had his narrator cheat broken in the first place? Thinking of the damaged Voice-Transmitting Jade Pendant version of the White Jade Cicada he had received from his eldest uncle, Liu Xiu glanced around. Harboring only the paranoid thought that *some villain is always plotting against the throne*, he put away his prayer mat and swiftly exited High Trees Forest. He didn't open the affection system to check it; the thing required data collection to build a database, so it couldn't be used yet. Mmh, not that he was scared. How could that be? Liu Xiu was the bravest of them all! "..." *What's wrong with this kid?* Shi Jian knitted his brows as he watched Liu Xiu suddenly jog out of the forest looking utterly vigilant. Looking around and seeing no monsters, demons, or ghosts, he simply assumed Liu Xiu had ingested too many metal and mineral elixirs. He reached out with an empty grasp, executing the Three-Light Primordial Magnetism Evil-Cleansing art to purge the heavenly star sinister qi in High Trees Forest along with the sinister qi clinging to Liu Xiu. Not particularly keen on talking, Shi Jian glanced at Liu Xiu as he approached, casually shocked Shi Shaojian—who was sitting cross-legged on the ground cultivating—and, ignoring Shi Shaojian's howl of pain, took the lead in walking back toward the wooden hut. "What's got into Master?" Noticing that the radioactive particles on his body had vanished, Liu Xiu looked puzzledly at Shi Jian's back, which seemed heavy with complicated emotions. Then he looked at Shi Shaojian, whose hair had become even more avant-garde after being shocked. Thinking it over, he understood: *Shi Shaojian must have provoked Master!* The three men and one jiangshi walked in total silence. As they drew near Four-Eyed Daoist's wooden hut, Shi Jian suddenly slowed his pace and shot a glance at Shi Shaojian. "..." *Just you wait, old bastard!* *Once my Hegemon Body fully awakens...* Knowing that Shi Jian wanted him to go ahead, Shi Shaojian glared at the old bastard who clearly had private words for Liu Xiu, clenched his fists, and continued toward the brightly lit wooden hut ahead. "The main reason I came over this time is to discuss something with you!" After Shi Jian spoke, he raised a hand and tapped toward the sky. The Primordial Concealment-Form Art—which caused enemies to forget what they saw and fail to hear what was said—was activated, transforming into an invisible barrier that enveloped him and Liu Xiu. This was done to guard against petty scoundrels eavesdropping! Shi Jian gestured to shove aside the clueless black jiangshi from afar, then began explaining his intention to submit the *Celestial Worthy of the Ninth Heaven Who Responds to the Origin and Universally Transforms with the Sound of Thunder's Primordial Magnetism Jade Pivot Precious Scripture* to the sect. He did not propose to Liu Xiu that they submit the Three-Light Primordial Magnetism Body-Refining Art to the sect, because in his eyes, as long as one grasped the great divine ability of primordial magnetism, anyone could comprehend such a body-refining method. At the same time, he mentioned that he would stand in for Liu Xiu as the one who received the Celestial Worthy's dream transmission. Fearing Liu Xiu might misunderstand, Shi Jian quickly explained: "It is not that I covet empty fame, but that your current strength is far too weak. As the saying goes, it is easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark..." "..." *Honestly speaking,* *I think you could leave out the part about my strength being weak!* Feeling that his master's words were becoming increasingly blunt, Liu Xiu nodded to show he understood Shi Jian's good intentions, then asked curiously, "Master, will there be a reward for submitting the *Celestial Worthy of the Ninth Heaven Who Responds to the Origin and Universally Transforms with the Sound of Thunder's Primordial Magnetism Jade Pivot Precious Scripture* to the sect?" "???" "Huh? Don't tell me there's nothing?" "...There is a reward!" *I just don't understand why someone like you, whose head is packed with worldly junk, would ever think his Upper Corpse was severed!* Shi Jian's mouth twitched twice as he answered. Liu Xiu nodded. "As long as there's a reward, that's fine. What kind of rewards are there? Divine abilities and techniques? Or heavenly materials and earthly treasures? Or perhaps divine weapons and demonic blades?" "...Depends on what you want." "How about the Hundred and Eight Heavenly Astral and Earthly Fiend Methods?" "..." Looking at Liu Xiu, who truly dared to dream, Shi Jian expressionlessly pulled out the *Celestial Worthy of the Ninth Heaven Who Responds to the Origin and Universally Transforms with the Sound of Thunder's Primordial Magnetism Jade Pivot Precious Scripture* and handed it to Liu Xiu. He had no other intention than telling Liu Xiu to go submit it to the Maoshan Main Altar himself; he suddenly didn't feel like going anymore. Liu Xiu curled his lip and said with regret, "All right then. Master, please try your best to fight for some esca... survival-enhancing divine abilities and techniques for me!" "Mm..." *You meant to say escaping, didn't you?* Shi Jian maintained as impassive an expression as possible and nodded slightly. Watching Shi Jian's demeanor, Liu Xiu decided to contact Perfected Tianning via Thousand-Li Voice Transmission later. He couldn't help it; he felt his master was too honest, just like himself. If an honest man like his master got duped in the end and received no reward, that would be terrible. Thinking of this, Liu Xiu asked curiously, "By the way, Master, do you plan to submit the Three-Light Primordial Magnetism Body-Refining Art you deduced to the sect?" "No. In my opinion, as long as one understands the great divine ability of primordial magnetism, anyone can deduce this kind of body-refining method. There's no need to hand it over!" "..." "Hm? What's wrong? You can't do it?" "..." "Oh, I forgot you understand the great divine ability of primordial magnetism too!" "..." "Yeah, truly forgot. I thought you didn't." "..." *Honestly speaking,* *your words sting way more than mine!* With a dark face, Liu Xiu lowered his head. A stiff smile flickered across Shi Jian's face as he patted Liu Xiu on the shoulder and said: "Don't be discouraged. Your talent is actually... decent. Although not as good as mine, and not as good as Shaojian's, you're at least better than Jiale!" Shi Jian spoke up, and looking at Liu Xiu who merely kept his head lowered in silence, he suddenly felt in a much better mood. He asked: "By the way, who did you learn your elixir path from?" "Self-taught!" "..." *Very nice.* *Just don't teach yourself next time!* Shi Jian looked expressionlessly at Liu Xiu. Sweeping his primordial magnetism power over him and confirming that Liu Xiu's body was fine and wouldn't suddenly drop dead, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had forgotten to mention that while he had just said Liu Xiu's talent for Dao cultivation was indeed inferior to Shi Shaojian's, there was one thing he hadn't said: Liu Xiu's ingenuity and his dedication to the Dao ranked in the top three among all the fellow Daoists he had ever met. "By the way, there is one more thing. Although the corpse poison in Qianhe and the others has been purged by me, your Martial Uncle Four-Eyes's injuries are somewhat severe. I want you and Shaojian to escort him on his corpse-driving journey together. I have to leave for the Main Altar tomorrow..." Shi Jian spoke, dispelling the Primordial Concealment-Form Art as he did. Hearing this, Liu Xiu replied, "Understood, Master. But how are Martial Uncle Four-Eyes's injuries more severe than Martial Uncle Qianhe's?" One had to remember that the wounds on Daoist Qianhe's arms were deep enough to expose bone, whereas Four-Eyed Daoist's injuries—if he remembered and saw correctly—were only minor scratches! "...A sickness of the heart!" Shi Jian answered curtly. He really didn't want to explain that Four-Eyed Daoist's injuries had been exacerbated when the overwhelming excitement of having his house restored had disrupted the recoil from his broken God-Invoking Art. He had no other intention; it was just too embarrassing! "Oh, okay..." Liu Xiu nodded. Seeing Shi Jian's expression, he roughly understood. Just as he was about to ask some questions, Shi Jian suddenly smiled and said, "By the way, when you reach Ren Family Town and see your Martial Uncle Lin, remember to inform me!" "Yes, Master!" Liu Xiu replied at once, while inwardly thinking that his Martial Uncle Lin was probably in for a rough time. Ahead, Shi Shaojian—who still hadn't reached the wooden hut—realized he could see the two of them again and shouted to Liu Xiu: "You go no go?" "...Go!" Knowing Shi Shaojian was asking "Are you coming or not?", Liu Xiu didn't mind him venting his frustration and simply answered with a grin. The three people and one jiangshi walked toward Four-Eyed Daoist's wooden hut once more. Although there weren't many rooms in the wooden hut, there were tents. Because it was already very late, Liu Xiu skipped his evening lessons. After freshening up, he headed to the tent a hundred meters away from the hut that he had stubbornly refused to move out of. "Sigh, fine, fine. Senior Brother, let me cross this tribulation of Yin Spirit Astral Projection on your behalf..." Walking into the tent, Liu Xiu saw Miss Su appear in a fit of rage and then vanish. He sat cross-legged on the bed and cast Yin Spirit Astral Projection. *Whoosh—* Considering that she had saved his life, Liu Xiu decided to indulge her. His Yin Spirit immediately detached from his physical body and pursued Miss Su. Before long, the two appeared near the City God Temple in another tent Liu Xiu had instructed Miss Su to prepare in advance. Truly: *Peonies first bloom within brocade curtains,* *Crabapple blossoms glisten with dew under candle glow.* *Twin lotuses blossom, bashful and wordless,* *A night of pear blossoms falls in the spring breeze.* *Here, 24,340 words are omitted...*