Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King-Chapter 263 - 253: Magic Dao·Sword Control, A Marriage Contract
The dream realm permeates, seeming both illusory and real.
Throughout history, tales of inheritance through dreams are countless. People believe that the more formidable the inheritance, the deeper it is concealed. Yet Lv Dongzhi defies this notion; although the tomb contains treasures, martial arts secret manuals, and magic dao recipes are hard to find... all kinds.
The stele that stores the Dream Remnant is set outside the cave. If one is destined, why venture into the tomb? With merely a glance, the mysterious response comes, and the Dream Remnant settles.
"Magic Dao... do you know what Magic Dao is?" Lv Dongzhi inquired.
Li Xian immediately gave a concise explanation, sharing his own understanding. Lv Dongzhi was extremely surprised and asked Li Xian if he had a highly prestigious master, as knowledge of Martial Arts is rarely discussed among martial artists. Many martial artists, in their confusion, enter the Martial Arts First Realm, yet their knowledge is not systematic.
Seeing that Li Xian already had a significant understanding of the path of Martial Arts, Lv Dongzhi, without delay, said directly: "Since you already understand Magic Dao, I will not say much. I drink Heavenly Essence and eat Earthly Splendor, mastering three doors of Magic Dao."
"Dreaming Skill, Riding the Wind, Petting the Crane."
Li Xian listened quietly.
Lv Dongzhi said: "The Dreaming Skill you are already clear about. It’s simply a convenience for you, boy; it has no other use now. Magic Dao·Riding the Wind allows for suspension in mid-air."
"This magic dao combined with Lightweight Skill, riding the wind and suspended for long periods. How carefree! Heavenly dangers and earthly terrain cannot hinder me one bit. Where is there that I cannot go?"
"As for Magic Dao·Petting the Crane, I learned it in the early stages of my martial arts practice when my realm was shallow. It came from eating and drinking indiscriminately. But paired with ’Riding the Wind,’ it can ’Ride the Wind and Pet the Crane,’ which is quite remarkable."
Li Xian couldn’t help but be captivated and asked, "If it’s so formidable, why the regret?"
Lv Dongzhi explained: "I once invited seven martial artists to travel to an island in a sea region. That sea region had towering waves and was full of danger. Ships couldn’t cross; only flying was possible." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
"I and those seven friends each sought a method to cross the sea. Martial Arts, Magic Dao, Treasure and Strange Objects... tried everything."
"However, we ultimately failed!"
Li Xian said: "Predecessor, riding the crane traverses a thousand miles a day, yet cannot cross the ocean?"
Lv Dongzhi replied: "I possess the magic dao ’Riding the Wind’ and ’Petting the Crane,’ and I say without humility that the world is vast, yet I can travel anywhere. Even to the Nanyang Dynasty Empress’s chamber, hehe... I sneak there nightly, and no one knows."
"But these Magic Dao skills ’Riding the Wind’ and ’Petting the Crane’ demand tremendous mental exertion in their deployment. And the sea region is vast and infinite; while flying halfway, the waves and winds overwhelmed me... mentally exhausted, I had no choice but to halt!"
"If I could also master ’Magic Dao·Sword Control,’ paired with my Pure Yang Divine Sword, there might be a possibility to cross the ocean!"
Upon saying this, he sighed heavily.
Lv Dongzhi said: "Thus, my greatest regret is that I never truly mastered ’Sword Control.’
When Li Xian heard the words ’Sword Control,’ images of stepping upon a flying sword and killing enemies a thousand miles away instantly appeared in his mind.
Lv Dongzhi explained: "This Dream Remnant technique was supposed to be ’Sword Control,’ but something went wrong midway, leading me to regret for a lifetime. Thus, my greatest regret and foremost inheritance is the ’Sword Control Recipe.’
Li Xian questioned doubtfully: "Lv predecessor, what if the Dream Remnant technique manifests in me as well?"
Lv Dongzhi, being merely a trace of Dream Remnant, hearing Li Xian’s disdain towards ’Dreaming Skill,’ couldn’t help but feel as if his heart were pricked with needles, his face twitching. Magic Dao is boundless and profound; with a slight deviation in consumption, the understanding of Magic Dao can be entirely different.
What the heart desires, it often can’t achieve.
Lv Dongzhi said: "I have already improved the recipe; if you consume it strictly according to the recipe, it might not be ’Sword Control,’ but it surely won’t be ’Dream Remnant.’ Alas, sometimes ’Dream Remnant’ isn’t so bad; a few sects and forces quite favor it."
He reached into the white mist, seemingly drawing out a scroll of the recipe.
The recipe reads:
Magic Dao·Sword Control.
The essence treasures required: Earthly Splendor thirty-six parts·Earth Spirit, Heavenly Essence thirty-one parts·Heavenly Spirit, Human Yellow fifteen parts·Sword Tomb Yellow.
Below, detailed notes on consumption taboos, sequence, etc., are very thorough.
Lv Dongzhi’s consumption sequence was: Sword Tomb Yellow, Earth Spirit, Heavenly Spirit. Resulting in ’Magic Dao·Dreaming Skill.’ But first consuming Heavenly Spirit, then drinking Earth Spirit, then savoring Sword Tomb Yellow results in ’Magic Dao·Sword Control.’
However, ’Heavenly Essence’ is hard to find, and ’Earthly Splendor’ is hard to locate. Lv Dongzhi tried a thousand more times, and still the sequence was Sword Tomb Yellow, Earth Spirit, Heavenly Spirit.
Li Xian said: "Lv predecessor, Heavenly Essence and Earthly Splendor are so hard to find. I’m afraid I won’t be able to obtain them, and the recipe will be futile."
Lv Dongzhi said: "You speak rightly. Tracking Earthly Splendor once in a few hundred years is extremely fortunate. Heavenly Essence is even rarer."
"This is indeed a significant challenge, but you, boy, have good fortune!"
"I have Heavenly Essence and Earthly Splendor. However... I stored them elsewhere. As you are my Dream Remnant successor, all these things are yours. You will retrieve them when the time comes!"
Li Xian asked: "Where are they stored?"
Lv Dongzhi said: "The Heavenly Spirit is in the Star Cloud Palace, the Earth Spirit is on Yellow Talisman Mountain, and the Sword Tomb Yellow is not hard to find; several Sword Cultivation Sects have it."
Li Xian, in his heart, scoffed: "Such treasures, if they were mine, I wouldn’t have the generosity to store them elsewhere."
Lv Dongzhi seemed to sense something, coughed lightly, and said, "Back then, in my pursuit of the Star Cloud Palace Master, I tried to flatter and please her, so I deposited the Heavenly Spirit."
Li Xian saw that Lv Dongzhi was unpretentious and easygoing. He casually asked with a smile, "Did you manage to win her over?"
Lv Dongzhi shook his head and sighed, "I, Lv Dongzhi, am unmatched in grace, but it’s difficult to always have everything go one’s way. It’s unfortunate, heaven is envious, and people resentful, and it just so happened that the Star Cloud Palace Master had no interest in me."
Li Xian thought to himself that the ’Sword Control’ Magic Dao was barely visible in his grasp. But obtaining the map was already satisfying. This was an unexpected delight, and he dared not hope for more.
Lv Dongzhi said, "As for the second greatest regret. Throughout my life, though I had many disciples, none truly inherited my legacy. Since you have responded to my Dreaming Skill, regardless of your talent, there are some aspects of you that I quite admire."
"You need to help me attempt to cross the sea."
Li Xian said frankly, "Even if I do not receive the predecessor’s legacy, the predecessor’s map has already saved my life. If there is a chance in the future, I will certainly do my best to serve. However, I cannot guarantee that I can cross the sea."
Lv Dongzhi said with relief:
"I really like your attitude!"
Talking about past events, he said:
"Back then, eight of us arranged to cross the sea, entirely to express our ideals and show our heroic spirit. In the end, we failed, though it was very regrettable, it was expected. If you say disappointment, it wasn’t necessarily so. After all, that sea region is extremely perilous, thunder roaring, how could it be easily crossed?"
"Back then we failed to cross the sea, each carrying injuries. Gathered at the Eight Immortals Building drinking, I was drinking to my heart’s content. Suddenly I said: ’Fellow brothers and sisters, in this lifetime, it is difficult for us to see that island. But future generations might have exceptional talents, who could fulfill our unfinished regrets. I’ve heard that Brother Li and Brother Han both have formidable disciples, why not do this... let’s establish a crossing the sea agreement. How about passing it down from generation to generation?’, the other seven people all agreed."
"It’s been so many years, the sea-crossing agreement might have been nullified. But I have fulfilled my promise to tell you about it. Do with it as you see fit!"
He immediately spoke of the sea area’s location, various details. In the end, he passed down the [Five Viscera Avoiding Dross and Gathering Yang Scripture].
Then spoke of the third greatest regret: "Alas, actually the third greatest regret, has to do with the Dao companion. I deposited the Earth Spirit on Yellow Talisman Mountain, actually also wanting to pursue a beauty. In the end, I didn’t win the beauty over, but ended up with a marriage contract."
Li Xian clasped his hands and said: "Predecessor Lv, truly, truly magnanimous!" secretly thinking: "One Heavenly Essence, one Earthly Splendor... all used for wooing."
Lv Dongzhi sneered: "Heh, for you to have responded to my Dreaming Skill, you are at least a lecherous person. We’re alike, don’t mock."
Li Xian said, "Predecessor, I am very honest."
"I don’t think so." Lv Dongzhi’s voice faded, transforming into white smoke that dissipated.
Li Xian suddenly returned to consciousness, the floating and suspended feeling completely dissipated, stepping on solid ground, he was back in the study within the Book Collection Residence. The flickering candlelight was unsteady, but Li Xian’s fatigue had disappeared, his mind was clear. Reflecting on the recent events, he couldn’t tell if they were real or imagined.
Upon careful consideration, "Five Viscera Avoiding Dross and Gathering Yang Scripture" was imprinted in his mind vividly and clearly, every word and sentence. Li Xian joyfully said: "It seems the dream just now, was indeed real beyond doubt. The Magic Dao’s mysteries can indeed last a thousand years."
The Sword Control Recipe was also real!
Suddenly, he saw a piece of yellow paper float down from the bookshelf. Li Xian raised his hand to catch it and held it in his hand.
It was precisely the "marriage contract" pointed out by Lv Dongzhi, its content concise, and the brief words explained the reasons for the marriage contract.
It turns out... the past events were quite complicated. Lv Dongzhi, of course, was naturally flirtatious, and the Zhao woman from Yellow Talisman Mountain was also exceptionally attractive.
At that time, the Zhao woman was studying Magic Dao and lacked "Earthly Splendor·Earth Spirit". At that time Lv Dongzhi happened to have it, so he made his request.
Lv Dongzhi naturally agreed. He gave half an inch of Earthly Splendor to let the Zhao woman study the Magic Dao. The woman said: "I am very grateful that you lend me Earthly Splendor, but in this life, I cannot marry you. Set your conditions."
Lv Dongzhi did not force her, and said: "Alright, you spend three years with me, if you still don’t like me. Then let’s leave it at that."
The Zhao woman knew she would never fall for Lv Dongzhi, grateful for Lv Dongzhi’s help, she couldn’t bear to let him down genuinely, but she also didn’t want to compromise herself. So she thought of a middle ground and said: "You are so persistent, alright. Then let’s spend three years together, but I will absolutely not fall for you, in the end, I still owe you. How about this, even if you and I have no fate. Our descendants will repay this marriage debt for us?"
Lv Dongzhi cheerfully agreed, the Earth Spirit was never retrieved.
Thus... this marriage contract originated from this. Yet they did not actually spend three years together, as he suddenly had urgent matters and left in a hurry. The remaining Earth Spirit was left at Yellow Talisman Mountain. After three years passed, they truly had no fate, thus the marriage contract came to existence.
Li Xian murmured: "Predecessor Lv had over ten Dao companions, truly hard to change his nature. Flirting with the Star Cloud Palace Master one moment, then teasing the Zhao from Yellow Talisman Mountain the next... sigh! This marriage contract, I suppose it is useless now. This matter occurred thousands of years ago, who could remember it now? Besides, who knows if Yellow Talisman Mountain or Star Cloud Palace still exist."
"It seems that the most useful legacy is indeed the ’Five Viscera Avoiding Dross and Gathering Yang Scripture’, this scripture seems to be very profound, I will take time to study it slowly. But for now, it’s best to leave the forest quickly!"
He tidied up the Book Collection Residence. Respectfully bowed in all directions, then retraced his steps, moving swiftly.
Lv Dongzhi’s mausoleum was extremely vast, encompassing all directions, the area Li Xian explored was only a fraction of it. But the mission was complete, an unexpected bounty. The advantage of the mausoleum was not to take everything. He headed home, in high spirits.
Suddenly, he heard "da" "da" sounds from a turning path ahead, the sound was quite far, but due to the isolated nature of the mausoleum, Li Xian’s hearing was very sharp, allowing him to hear clearly.
Li Xian furrowed his brows, he had spent a long time with Wen Caishang, knowing her graceful and dignified demeanor, her steps were light and soundless, leaving only a lingering fragrance, this sound was definitely not hers.
"The footsteps are uneven, the spirit seems unsettled, as if frightened, definitely not the lady. Could there be someone else who has also snuck into the mausoleum? I should hide and observe quietly!"
He pondered deeply.
Being very familiar with the traps of the mausoleum, he hid himself in the shadows, extinguished the torch, and listened carefully. The sound of footsteps grew closer.
Li Xian observed secretly, seeing clearly the appearance of two people. One was from the "Wuji Saber Sect", the other from the "Sword Rain Tower".
