Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 460 - 407: The Path of Parasitism
I have an old friend in the Hall of Myriad Laws?
I don’t think I’ve ever even been to the Hall of Myriad Laws...
Qi Xiu, somewhat at a loss, glanced at Dongfang Qing, who was sitting with his eyes closed in meditation, and then walked away.
The Hall of Myriad Laws is one of the forbidden areas of the Shenxiao Sect. Unlike the library that houses the True Scripture Volumes and original texts, the Hall of Myriad Laws contains various types of Dharma Spirits born since the founding of the Shenxiao Sect. These unique Spirit Essences, derived from Techniques, are incredibly diverse and bizarre. If one can gain their favor, it is possible to master a particular Dharma Gate to perfection in an instant. Thus, the Hall of Myriad Laws is a treasured land that almost every Sect Member of the Shenxiao Sect is bound to visit. After all, the selection of a master by a Dharma Spirit is largely a matter of luck and affinity. Lucky Disciples, even those with poor Cultivation, might still win the favor of a Dharma Spirit and master an extraordinary method.
The reason Qi Xiu had never been to the Hall of Myriad Laws was, firstly, because he possessed the Proficiency Divine Marvel; by following the rules and practicing step by step, he was not lacking in methods. Secondly, since joining the Shenxiao Sect, he had either been in closed-door cultivation or dealing with various matters outside. Although he knew about many treasured and important places within the sect, he simply had no time or energy to explore them. If Dongfang Qing hadn’t mentioned the Hall of Myriad Laws today, he himself wouldn’t have remembered until who knows when that such a treasured place even existed within the sect.
"Let’s head back to Yunti Peak first."
Shaking his head, Qi Xiu transformed into a strand of colorful cloud qi and drifted away. After cultivating the "Immortal Scripture of Myriad Laws and Primordial Unity" and reverse-cultivating himself into Innate Primeval Breath, in his gaseous state, his thoughts became swift as lightning, capable of traversing vast distances in an instant. Moreover, he could almost ignore all Forbidden Laws and barriers. Unstoppable, unblockable. The world was vast, and he could go anywhere. Utterly free and unfettered.
「On Yunti Peak, atop Guanlan Cliff.」
Ge Ping and Gan Xingba, who had stayed to cultivate on the peak, were completely stunned when they heard that Qi Xiu had reached the realm of a Great Power True Monarch. Qi Xiu, as Daoist Yunxiong’s youngest disciple, had only been in the sect for less than a hundred years, yet he had already achieved the Dao Body Realm.
What sort of speed was that?
Even prodigies weren’t that monstrous, were they?
"I keep telling you to practice diligently every day, but you never listen. Now your junior fellow disciple has left you far behind, hasn’t he?" Gently stroking his bushy beard, Daoist Yunxiong spoke with a smile.
He was both shocked and delighted at his youngest disciple achieving the rank of Great Power True Monarch. He was shocked because he had never imagined he would accept such an unparalleled prodigy, one who achieved the Dao Body Realm by the age of one hundred—an honor even the Supreme Sect Leader could not claim. He was delighted because now, with two Great Power True Monarchs presiding over Yunti Peak, it was bound to become one of the top among The Seventy-Two Spirit Peaks, greatly enhancing his prestige.
"Even with the utmost diligence, we’d probably still be unable to catch up with our junior brother," Ge Ping said with a wry smile, waving his hands dismissively.
Achieving the Dao Body Realm at the age of one hundred. Never mind them; such individuals were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns within the entire Shenxiao Sect, the Dianchuan Province, and even throughout the Great Xuan Dynasty. This was no longer simply a matter of talent. Aptitude, Temperament, conviction, and even luck—if even one of these factors was missing, it would not be enough to bring about the magnificent feat of achieving the Dao Body Realm at one hundred.
"It’s truly astonishing! To think that the first on our Yunti Peak to achieve the Dao Body Realm would be our youngest junior brother, the one who joined last. Master, you must be laughing even in your dreams," Gan Xingba remarked with a wide grin, teasing his master, Daoist Yunxiong.
"Nonsense! Am I, your master, so easily stirred? How could such a trivial matter shake my Mental State?"
A light slap landed on Gan Xingba’s head. Daoist Yunxiong himself hadn’t realized that ever since he returned from Sect Master Peak, the wide smile on his face hadn’t faltered. He had smiled more times today than in an entire past month.
While the master and his two disciples were bantering, a stream of colorful cloud qi suddenly descended upon Guanlan Cliff—it was Qi Xiu.
"Master, Fifth Senior Brother, Sixth Senior Brother, it’s been a long time." Qi Xiu greeted his two senior brothers with a smile and a cupped fist salute. It had been over twenty years since they had last parted in the Longevity Star Realm.
The reunion of fellow sect members naturally led to a long, heartfelt conversation.
Faced with their junior brother, who in the blink of an eye had become a Dao Expert they could only look up to in awe, Ge Ping and Gan Xingba felt both happy and a little wistful. Compared to Qi Xiu, they could only be considered the most mediocre of talents. After cultivating for several hundred years, they had only reached the third or fourth tier of the Bloodstain Realm.
Seeing his senior brothers’ dejection, Qi Xiu offered a few words of comfort and then promised to share his cultivation insights with them in full detail. With guidance from both Daoist Yunxiong and himself—two Dao Experts—their cultivation speed would surely surpass that of the disciples from other Spirit Peaks.
Hearing Qi Xiu’s words, Ge Ping and Gan Xingba broke into broad smiles. Receiving special instruction like this was indeed a joyous prospect.
Afterward, Ge Ping and Gan Xingba curiously asked Qi Xiu about his experiences since leaving the Shenxiao Sect and how he had broken through to the Dao Body Realm.
Qi Xiu didn’t hide much, recounting his accidental arrival in the Longevity Star Realm, followed by his many experiences in Qinlong Province, Northwestern Dalang, and the Valley of Deceased Gods. He merely omitted some of the more sensitive secrets, narrating his adventures as if they were tales from a travel journal for his two senior brothers.
Even so, Ge Ping and Gan Xingba listened, utterly engrossed, their eyes shining with excitement. They wished they too could venture out and experience for themselves that feeling of wind in their blood.
This conversation lasted for three full days and nights.
It wasn’t until Daoist Yunxiong sent Ge Ping and Gan Xingba away that this long-overdue reunion and leisurely chat finally concluded.
With Ge Ping and Gan Xingba gone, only Qi Xiu and his master, Daoist Yunxiong, remained on Guanlan Cliff.
With a flick of his sleeve, Daoist Yunxiong materialized two cups of Daoist tea on the stone table before them and slowly said, "Sit. For the past few days, I’ve watched you chat so animatedly with those two rascals. Today, let us, master and disciple, also have a proper talk."
Adjusting his robes, Qi Xiu sat down solemnly opposite his master and respectfully took the teacup with both hands. "I haven’t been able to serve at Master’s side much these past years. Please forgive me, Master."
"Hoho, enough of that. You are extraordinarily talented, destined by a sacred heart for great things. For you to remain in the sect, always by my side, would be a waste of your abilities, a reckless squandering of precious gifts. What’s more, this time you’ve truly given your master a great reason to boast. Right now, all the Peak Masters of The Seventy-Two Spirit Peaks are probably incredibly envious of your master!" Recalling the gleaming, envious eyes of his peers and fellow disciples, Daoist Yunxiong couldn’t help but stroke his beard and laugh heartily again.
He had lived for over a thousand years, and the prestige from this event was even greater than when he himself had achieved the Dao Body Realm. After all, achieving the Dao Body Realm only indicated one possessed the Aptitude and ability to do so. But nurturing a disciple to the Dao Body Realm? That held an entirely different significance. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Currently, within the Shenxiao Sect, there were a hundred Dao Experts, yet those who had successfully mentored another to become a Dao Expert could be counted on one hand. Moreover, Qi Xiu had achieved the Dao Body Realm before the age of one hundred—a feat unparalleled in the entire history of the Shenxiao Sect!
"Now that you’re back, you should be able to rest for a good while, shouldn’t you?" After his hearty laughter subsided, Daoist Yunxiong looked at his youngest disciple before him, his gaze gentle as he slowly asked.
Although he often said Qi Xiu was destined for great things and bore a heavier mission than ordinary people, as a master, he was also deeply concerned about this youngest disciple’s safety and hardships. After all, from Qi Xiu’s earlier conversation with Ge Ping and Gan Xingba, he gathered that many of the things Qi Xiu had experienced outside these past years were fraught with mortal danger. Others heard tales of his astonishing and heroic adventures across the land, but to Yunxiong, they sounded like a relentless series of perilous crises.
He feared this little disciple of his was too weary, and even more, he feared that Qi Xiu might suffer harm, or even lose his life, amidst these ever-escalating dangers. If that were the case, he would rather Qi Xiu stay within the Shenxiao Sect, on Yunti Peak. As long as he, Yunxiong, was alive, he would ensure his disciple’s safety for a lifetime.
"I should be able to. After all, your disciple is inherently lazy, you know," Qi Xiu chuckled, his expression relaxed.
But in reality, he knew clearly. It seemed that at some unknown point, he had been drawn into one unfathomably deep vortex after another. Even if he intentionally tried to avoid them, or even keep a respectful distance, he would invariably be dragged deep into them for reasons beyond his control. Regarding this inexplicable situation, he had seen some hints related to that red-haired man who had suddenly appeared, intent on ruining his Dao Path and taking his life. However, lacking any basis for verification, it could only be considered speculation.
"That’s good. You are now a Dao Expert, and you are free to visit the many treasured lands within the sect. Stay within the sect, polish your Cultivation, stabilize your Realm. With your Aptitude and talent, there’s a very high chance you could become our sect’s next Primordial Spirit True Honor." Daoist Yunxiong said this, his heart surging with emotion.
Primordial Spirit True Honor... If he could truly witness Qi Xiu achieve the Primordial Spirit fruition, he would have no regrets in this life.
"Er... the Primordial Spirit Realm might still be too far off, don’t you think?" Qi Xiu said with a helpless smile, rubbing his brow. He exchanged a look with Daoist Yunxiong, and both burst into hearty laughter.
「That night.」
A wisp of colorful cloud qi quietly descended into the secluded courtyard of his residence on Yunti Peak. Qingyi, hugging a broom while sound asleep in a rocking chair, didn’t notice Qi Xiu’s return. She scratched her cheek lightly, turned over, and continued to sleep.
Returning to the small home he had been away from for decades, Qi Xiu had transformed from the Blood-Stained Great Cultivator of yesteryear into the Great Power True Monarch of today. The difference was truly like that between heaven and earth.
His bedroom, kept spotless by Qingyi’s diligent cleaning over the years, was immaculate. Qi Xiu sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion. As his eyes half-closed, majestic, vast, and profound auras of colorful light began to emanate from his body.
Dao Body Realm.
For ninety-nine percent of cultivators in the world, this was the end of their Dao Path. After all, the next level, the Primordial Spirit Realm, was a pinnacle that only those born with a natural destiny for the Dao could possibly touch. There were countless cultivators in the world, yet only a scarce few hundred had ever attained that True Venerable position, demonstrating a difficulty comparable to ascending to immortality.
Quietly observing his own body, Qi Xiu slowly extended his palm. His originally solid flesh and blood instantly transformed into streams of the purest, most refined Innate Primeval Breath.
The Dao Body Realm is a Realm where the Dao and oneself are melded and transformed. For a Dao Expert, they have thoroughly comprehended and integrated all their lifelong learning into themselves, beginning to truly touch upon the power of [the Dao]. In this Realm, cultivators must merge with [the Dao] and then, by means of artifacts, methods, body, and will, manifest the [Dao] they have merged with and mastered into tangible reality.
And this process is called [The Path of Parasitism].
