Time was pressing. Zhou Wuji sat cross-legged in silence, silently using his mind to guide that small bead of golden light deep into the center of his brow.
At the same time, he activated the Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot Scripture, his most vital qi-cultivation method.
Its foundation lay in visualizing Tian Shu, the first star of the Northern Dipper, establishing a connection with it in the unseen depths, and channeling the stellar power of Tian Shu for one's own use.
Daoist cultivation methods differed vastly from martial arts.
Martial arts emphasized grounding oneself and progressing from the exterior to the interior. Even if ordinary people lacked talent, practicing for several years could yield a certain degree of achievement.
Daoist cultivation methods, however, began with visualization. The practices were intricate and ethereal, the threshold for entry extraordinarily steep, placing supreme importance on innate talent.
Zhou Wuji possessed only mediocre talent; after over a decade of cultivation, he had never been able to generate a sense of qi.
Only now, as origin spiritual qi permeated every part of him inside and out, did his mental power surge dramatically.
In the words of his master Li Yiyuan: nurture the spirit within, empower all arts without.
In a trance, Zhou Wuji beheld the seven stars of the Northern Dipper set against the deep, dark starry sky.
Led by Tian Shu, a brilliant beam of starlight suddenly cascaded down, striking deep into the center of Zhou Wuji's brow.
His mind jolted. It felt as though a special eye had opened deep within the center of his brow, allowing him to see countless streams of light swirling through the void around him like an endless ocean of radiance.
Zhou Wuji knew this was the qi that existed between heaven and earth, pervading all directions, present everywhere.
Yet only those who developed a sense of qi could perceive the qi between heaven and earth and refine it for their own use.
It was precisely because he had formed that wondrous bond with the star of Tian Shu that he could open the divine aperture at his brow and gather Tian Shu's stellar power from the boundless sea of qi.
Half-real and half-illusory, the divine aperture expanded and contracted rhythmically under his operation, much like an extraordinary heart.
Expanding and contracting, the divine aperture naturally inhaled and exhaled, guiding the spiritual qi of Tian Shu's stellar power to circulate throughout his body.
That wisp of spiritual qi was like water; Zhou Wuji felt as though his bones, tendons, and internal organs had all been thoroughly cleansed. Inside and out, he felt light, refreshed, and completely at ease, with every one of his one hundred and eight thousand pores opening smoothly.
In this state, Zhou Wuji noticed an invisible qi vortex beneath the secret chamber, fathomless and deep.
Realization dawned on him. So that was why his master had built Canglong Temple here: there was a qi aperture here where the quality of spiritual qi was markedly higher than elsewhere, and something seemed hidden inside it...
Zhou Wuji opened his eyes, joy shining irrepressibly on his face.
He had truly attained the stage of "Qi Ingestion"—Rank Eight of the Daoist path.
So-called Qi Ingestion was an abbreviation for ingesting qi and sipping the dawn clouds.
From this point on, he could continually draw in the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to temper his spirit and flesh.
With qi empowering him, endowed with extraordinary power, the spells he cultivated would finally carry true might.
Spells of this level were of little use against martial artists. But now that he possessed qi, the might of his martial arts and swordplay would increase tenfold and more.
Looking back at the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, sure enough, the Rank Nine label after his name had turned to Rank Eight, and his lifespan had increased by five years.
An increase in lifespan also signified a comprehensive enhancement of his body and spirit!
Zhou Wuji drew the Seven Stars Sword, thrusting five times in rapid succession before sheathing it once more.
From unsheathing to sheathing, the entire sequence was swift and fluid—the Descending Wild Goose Sword of the Xiaoxiang Sword style. Zhou Wuji was thrilled; only with the enhancement of qi could his swordsmanship be so swift and steady.
His physical coordination, explosive power, and stability had all noticeably improved.
Especially his five senses: the dim oil lamp now appeared exceptionally bright, and the speckled rust on the secret chamber's iron door was clearly visible.
Zhou Wuji could even sense the breeze drifting on the other side of the iron door and feel the cool, damp drafts seeping through the cracks.
His spirit had grown stronger and keener; his mind's reaction time had quickened considerably, enabling him to process all manner of minute information with effortless ease.
By his reckoning, he had meditated for only about a quarter of an hour—roughly fifteen minutes.
The Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment converted origin spiritual qi, and the empowering process was exceedingly rapid.
It was mainly stepping into the Rank Eight Qi Ingestion realm all at once that led him to lose himself in continuously circulating his true qi, consuming much of that time.
The breakthrough in true qi had also elevated the Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot Scripture to the proficient realm.
Inside and out, an earth-shattering transformation had taken place within his body.
For an ordinary practitioner, even breaking through to Rank Eight required time to settle and recuperate, adapting step by step to such massive physical and spiritual changes.
Yet he had skipped that process entirely, now able to effortlessly master his body inside and out.
Without needing to test it, he knew how strong he was, how fast he could move, how high he could leap, and more...
This was clearly the miraculous effect of the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, sparing him the trial and error of settling in.
In truth, using the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment entailed many strict protocols. The most basic required setting up an altar, praying devoutly to the Arctic Celestial Emperor, and completing a full set of fixed rituals.
Yet he had bypassed the entire ritual and used the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment directly, which had already violated its strict precepts.
Had it not been for the special status of Otherworldly Soul, he would have been obliterated by the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment right then and there!
Especially at a time like this, when he had no means of carrying out the rituals anyway.
Skipping the rituals had in fact saved him boundless time and effort.
All the precepts he had broken were clearly recorded in the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment. And beside every record was marked: "Fully Exempted."
*Having a cheat is just so fast! The Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment is awesome!* Zhou Wuji cheered silently.
Suddenly, he understood a little why his master had given him the Daoist name Wuji.
Tormented by the strict precepts of the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, his master had yearned to be beyond laws and rules—free from the fetters of precepts and all else...
That dream of his master's had actually come true in him!
Zhou Wuji felt a wave of emotion, but then his thoughts turned back to how wretchedly he had fled just earlier, and anger surged within his chest.
Their master had met with misfortune, yet those two brats had seized the chance to try to kill him and usurp their master's lineage. They could not be forgiven.
A Rank Eight martial artist was formidable in combat, but facing a Rank Eight Daoist in Qi Ingestion, they lacked agility and variation.
After all, a martial artist had to reach Rank Six before they could condense qi into a sea and open the lower dantian's sea of qi.
Only at that stage could a martial artist truly transcend the limitations of the human body.
Of course, a martial artist's qi refinement was vastly different from Daoist qi ingestion, so they could not be directly compared.
Even so, Zhou Wuji felt he possessed a considerable advantage over Zhang Wuding in almost every regard.
In barehanded combat, he might still be no match for Zhang Wuding, whose bones and sinews were tough as steel. But he had the Seven Stars Sword in hand!
The Seven Stars Sword was forged from high-grade jade-steel, with a blade three feet three inches long, a hilt nine inches long, and seven golden stars inlaid upon the hilt to represent the Northern Dipper. The entire sword weighed three jin and three liang.
Not only was this sword a Rank Seven talisman weapon, it was also an exceptionally sharp blade. It could pierce ordinary armor with a single thrust.
No matter how unyielding Zhang Wuding's Iron Tiger Fist might be, it could never withstand a blow from his sword.
However, Zhang Wuding commanded considerable prestige among the disciples. These disciples were scions of the prominent clans in the county and were naturally close to one another.
If a single strike failed and the crowd swarmed him all at once, things would become very complicated.
The best strategy, of course, was to take a step back. With the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, he would grow powerful quickly.
Dealing with this bunch then would be as easy as turning over his palm.
Zhou Wuji had a quiet, guarded disposition, but he was vindictive to the core; there was no way he could swallow this indignation.
Most importantly, his master's remains could not be left unattended.
Zhou Wuji's mind was exceptionally clear now. His eyes fell upon the other wooden chest, and he instantly remembered that there were three Yin Thunder Beads Li Yiyuan had crafted here.
Opening the chest, sure enough, there were three black beads the size of chicken eggs inside.
Producing Yin Thunder Beads required specialized dharma implements and consumed a massive amount of dharmic power, a tedious and perilous process.
Li Yiyuan had crafted only three, stashing them here for emergencies.
Yin Thunder Beads required true qi to detonate; previously, Zhou Wuji could not use them. Now, they would be of immense utility.
Inside the chest also lay books, notes, ledgers, medicine gourds, and other items.
The books were various cultivation scriptures, the notes contained Li Yiyuan's cultivation insights, and the ledgers were Canglong Temple's financial records.
Most important among them was Li Yiyuan's Celestial Pivot Demon-Subduing Token: a circular bronze medallion with a square hole at its center, resembling an enormous bronze coin.
Measuring about two inches across, one side was engraved with the Daoist name Yiyuan, beneath which was the sect's Celestial Pivot Demon-Subduing Incantation and its seven-star crest.
The other side read "All Arts Return to the Dao," with three ancient seal characters carved below: "Celestial Master Mansion."
Zhou Wuji stowed the Celestial Pivot Demon-Subduing Token away safely. This item was proof of identity as a registered, Rank Seven talisman-ordained Daoist, as well as a Daoist certificate acknowledged by the government as vital proof of identity.
Only with the Celestial Pivot Demon-Subduing Token in hand could one truly be said to hold the legitimate lineage of Canglong Temple.
Taking the three Yin Thunder Beads and tucking them away, Zhou Wuji returned to the entrance sword in hand. He pressed against the iron plate and listened for a moment; there was no unusual movement.
If Zhang Wuding and the others had found the secret tunnel, they would certainly have begun demolishing and excavating with all their might; they would never wait quietly outside for him to surface.
This was not a matter of intelligence—Zhang Wuding simply could never have imagined that Zhou Wuji would have the nerve to run back.
Zhou Wuji slid back the bolt, shoved open the sliding door, and emerged from the passage.
The bedroom was dim. Fortunately, with his enhanced five senses and familiarity with the surroundings, he saw at a glance that while the room was slightly disordered, no outsiders were present.
Zhou Wuji slipped quietly to the window and peered out. The backyard was pitch-black, without a sound.
Instead, a faint clamor of voices came from the grand hall up front.
Zhou Wuji crept silently around the back door with his sword, slipping to the side of the Arctic Celestial Emperor's statue.
The oil lamps in the grand hall had all been lit, illuminating the space brightly. His master's corpse lay before the altar table.
The hall was packed with people—a dense crowd of twenty to thirty.
Half were his junior brothers and sisters, scions of the county's prominent clans, while the other half were temple servants and handymen.
Facing the crowd, Zhang Wuding was proclaiming loudly, "Zhou Wuji betrayed his master, severed the lineage, and plotted against Master! Such a traitor deserves destruction by heaven and earth..."
Zhou Wuji paid no mind to what Zhang Wuding was saying. His gaze fell upon Zhang Wuding's waist—no sword. His heart settled instantly: *This kid didn't even bring a sword. He's truly doomed to die!*
Chapter 4