Make the Immortal Sect Great Again

The Su Family Estate.

Night had fallen. The study remained brightly lit. Sitting upright within it, Wang Ping let the hemp paper in his hand dip into the lamp’s flame, watching it slowly burn to ash.

The Heavenly Roc Dragon Capture Physique Diagram.

This was Chen Haoyan’s deepest secret. Wang Ping burned it without hesitation now—though naturally, he had already recorded its entire contents with his spiritual sense.

”This is the safest way.”

Only after finishing the task did Wang Ping finally relax. Calming his heart and breath, he earnestly studied the chart that allowed one to condense Internal Force.

A physique diagram was, at its core, a painting. The brushwork here was incredibly vivid, depicting a massive roc whose wings blotted out the sky as it hunted dragons and serpents. The level of detail was staggering; he could even see every individual feather on the roc’s wings as it swooped in for the kill.

Even more bizarre—the painting moved.

It must use some kind of technique where the image changes depending on the viewing angle. When overlaid, it forms a brief animation.

Wang Ping focused his spiritual sense, growing even more serious.Gradually, he began to see words on the roc’s body. Every feather acted like a brush, tracing out lines in time with the bird’s movements.

Soon after, a passage of scripture leaped into his mind.

”Heavenly Roc captures the dragon, rooted in consumption and enslavement... What a demonic art!”

Very quickly, Wang Ping successfully grasped the principles and key formulas of the entire Heavenly Roc Dragon Capture Physique Diagram. His expression shifted from blankness to a trace of enlightenment.

As the name implied, the Internal Force condensed using this diagram was called Heavenly Roc Force. It sounded grandiose and righteous, yet its effects were primarily twofold. The first was ”enslavement.” This involved injecting the Internal Force into another person’s body, transforming them into a slave of the Roc Master!

It was an exceptionally treacherous and ruthless method.

Once Heavenly Roc Force entered a victim’s body, it automatically converted into a different, highly corrosive special Internal Force known as Enslaved Dragon Force.

It acted just like a lethal poison.

Once a victim was completely eroded by the Enslaved Dragon Force, their every word, action, and even their very life would no longer be their own. The Roc Master controlled them absolutely.

Its second use was even more sinister.

It was called ”consumption.”

Simply put, the Roc Master could turn around and devour the Internal Force that the enslaved dragon had painstakingly cultivated. They could use it to nourish themselves, or even rely on it to break through critical bottlenecks.

Wang Ping stared at the text for a long while before finally reading the core philosophy of this martial art between the lines.

Cannibalism!

As he realized this, a rather peculiar idea suddenly popped into Wang Ping’s head: Did the enslaved dragons manipulated by the Heavenly Roc Force include corpses?

If not, then so be it.

But if they did, could he commit suicide, resurrect, turn his own corpse into an enslaved dragon, and devour it, perpetually bootstrapping his own cultivation?

At this thought, Wang Ping’s mood blazed with excitement. If this idea actually worked, he would have far more room to maneuver in the future.

A moment later, he walked out of the room and headed to the stables.

Seeing him approach, the Curly-Maned Horse seemed to realize something. It didn’t even need his prompting; shooting him a dirty look, it proactively stuck out its rear end.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

It crapped out the pills all on its own.

Seeing this, Wang Ping couldn’t help but mutter to himself. Wasn’t his horse a little too intelligent? It hadn’t seemed like this in the beginning.

He quickly tossed these trivial matters to the back of his mind, hastily picking up the dung balls from the ground and washing them clean. He then broke the seals to retrieve the pill bottles inside. He had already devoured the vast majority of the pills Chen Haoyan had given him during his recent period of rapid advancement.

In exchange, he had achieved External Arts Perfection.

Aside from the poison pills and that Heaven’s Will Soul-Returning Pill of unknown function, only the two bottles currently in his hands still possessed nourishing effects.

The Heaven-Reversing Reconstruction Pill.

The Snow Ginseng Ice Fruit Jade Nectar Dew.

”According to my previous experiments, these two elixirs don’t nourish the physique, but rather Internal Force. They can help me complete the cultivation of the physique diagram at the fastest possible speed.”

Wang Ping’s eyes shone brightly.

As far as he knew, the cultivation of an Internal Force Martial Master was essentially a process of constantly perfecting one’s own physique. The more complete the physique, the stronger the martial master’s strength.

This process consisted of two steps.

First, the physique accommodated the twelve regular meridians. This was the Microcosmic Orbit Physique. The Internal Force would form a preliminary circulation within the martial artist’s body, and its power would undergo a qualitative change.

Second, the physique accommodated the eight extraordinary meridians. This was the Macrocosmic Orbit Physique. The output, total volume, and special effects of the Internal Force would all receive a massive boost.

”The vast majority of physique diagrams can’t even get past the first step. After all, the twelve regular meridians include the three yin and three yang of both the hands and feet, while most physique diagrams only encompass one of those sets. Trying to cover them all is unrealistic... at least, ordinary superior martial arts can’t do it. One has to concurrently practice other martial arts.”

Thinking of this, Wang Ping grew increasingly thrilled.

He had discovered that the grade of the Heavenly Roc Dragon Capture Physique Diagram was remarkably high. It actually included all twelve regular meridians, only missing the eight extraordinary meridians section!

Incredible.

Where did Chen Haoyan get this physique diagram? It’s a bit too overpowered. Could it have been excerpted from some peerless martial arts manual?

After a moment of silence, Wang Ping took out the Black Hornless Dragon Bow.

This was a prohibited item from the county yamen’s Armory. Although it was still an Ordinary Weapon, it was only a hair’s breadth away from the higher-tier Sharp Weapon grade.

”It’s perfect for a breakthrough.”

Whoosh!

The wind howled, blowing out the candle, and the room plunged into darkness. Wang Ping sat cross-legged on the floor, already clad in his six Ordinary Weapons.

Besides the Black Hornless Dragon Bow and the Oxtail Saber, he also wore the Black Gold Soft Armor, the Armor-Binding Exquisite Belt, and the Tiger-Head Heart-Protecting Mirror. He had retrieved all of these from the Su Family Estate. Now fully equipped, they resonated with his martial arts, emitting faint pinpricks of light in the dark.

He grasped the two pill bottles in his hands.

Gulp.

The pills entered his stomach and detonated like a bomb. A violent, searing current of medicinal power erupted from his lower abdomen, circulating through his meridians and instantly flooding his four limbs and hundreds of bones.

Condensing a physique is actually highly dangerous.

Everything happens inside the body, invisible to the naked eye. Yet, a single misstep can damage the meridians, or even leave behind irreparable, grievous wounds.

Therefore, the vast majority of martial artists were incredibly cautious when condensing their physiques. It could easily take ten or twenty years, and every step was taken with extreme care. Some who truly couldn’t endure the loneliness even chose to give up after condensing the Microcosmic Orbit Physique, unwilling to walk that tightrope again.

Furthermore, whether it was the Microcosmic Orbit Physique or the Macrocosmic Orbit Physique...

...both theoretically held the potential to become a Titled Martial Master and rank on the Armament Manual. The true difference between the two lay in the Grandmaster Rank Realm; the Macrocosmic Orbit Physique offered a greater sliver of hope.

But so what?

Even if the Macrocosmic Orbit Physique aided in assaulting the Grandmaster Rank Realm, it merely increased the odds by less than ten percent. In the eyes of many, it was utterly meaningless.

Not to mention that for ninety-nine point nine percent of martial artists in the world, let alone reaching the Grandmaster Rank, just getting to the final threshold before it made them one in hundreds of thousands.

Since that was the case, why make things hard for oneself?

”Just thinking about it makes it feel daunting.”

Wang Ping sighed. The Martial Dao was just like this. The further up one climbed, the harder it became—as difficult as ascending the heavens. Those who could make it to the very end were all peerless heroes.

And doing what he was doing right now—swallowing a massive amount of Internal Force-nourishing pills in one breath while simultaneously condensing his physique—the level of danger could no longer be called just walking a tightrope.

It was practically dancing on a tightrope!

”The berserk medicinal power won’t give me any chance to react. Before I can even deduce the correct path, it’ll shatter my meridians.”

Condensing a physique inside the body was like feeling for stones to cross a river in the dead of night. Others slowly ground it out over time, dealing with shallow, clear water. But he wanted to achieve it rapidly, which was equivalent to wading into a monstrous flood. Being swept away by the current and ending up in the belly of a fish was almost inevitable.

If it were any other martial artist in his place, they would have likely already pronounced their own death sentence.

What’s that? I’m an immortal cultivator? Oh, then it’s fine!

Wang Ping circulated his spiritual sense, instantly locking onto the twelve regular meridians within his body, and guided the medicinal power to pour into them. The entire process wasn’t exactly a struggle every step of the way.

In fact, it was a breeze.

Rumble!

Gradually, Wang Ping’s breathing grew thunderous, as if a storm were brewing in the dim study, or a great river were surging through it.

Right at this moment, the door pushed open.

Creak...

Madam Su, having just returned home from the flurry of Chen Haoyan’s burial ceremony, froze. Her gaze immediately and uncontrollably glued itself to the person in the room.

His appearance hadn’t changed at all. Yet, for some unknown reason, even enveloped in the dimness, he seemed to be glowing, radiating an overwhelmingly intense presence.

A second later, Wang Ping’s eyes snapped open.

Flash!

It was as if a bolt of lightning had streaked through the dark room, turning it stark white for a split second before it rapidly returned to gloom. Startled, Madam Su stumbled.

She almost fell, but a large hand swept out ahead of time, firmly catching her delicate, willow-like body.

”Are you alright, Madam?” Wang Ping asked, a picture of solemnity.

”Mmph...”

Madam Su covered her face. Thinking about how cold and unyielding she had been to Wang Ping just a few days ago, only to now be lying in his embrace, she felt an unspeakable shame.

But breaking free right now... she couldn’t quite bear to part with the warmth.

She comforted herself, continuing to use the excuse of I am being coerced to persuade herself, before half-yielding and settling into Wang Ping’s arms.

However, Wang Ping wasn’t in a hurry to make a move.

On the contrary, he very decently helped Madam Su stand steady, then led her to the kitchen next door, presenting her with a table completely full of dishes.

”Did you... cook all this?” Madam Su asked, her face full of shock.

”Uh, you overestimate me, Madam.”

Wang Ping looked a little embarrassed. ”These are nourishing meals from Yuelai Tower. I had them delivered. Since you have recently started practicing martial arts, your diet can’t fall behind.”

”Hurry and eat.”

As soon as he said this, Madam Su covered her lips, an indescribable joy swelling in her heart.

She had seen it clearly just now: Wang Ping was obviously deeply immersed in his martial practice, yet he had still remembered her and prepared an entire table of nourishing food for her.

Recalling the past years, she was usually the one arranging nourishing meals for Chen Haoyan, terrified of missing the hour and delaying that bastard’s training, which would only invite a savage beating.

At the thought of this, an impulse swelled up spontaneously.

By the time Madam Su regained her senses, she was already hugging Wang Ping tightly, standing on her tiptoes, wishing she could knead her entire body into his.

”Madam, you!?”

”Don’t speak...”

...

Several hours later.

The dining table in the kitchen had collapsed halfway, pots and pans scattered across the floor. However, the food had been eaten completely clean, and Madam Su lay entirely limp in Wang Ping’s embrace.

”I’m full,” Madam Su whispered.

The warmth of a full stomach spread outwards, and the happiness and satisfaction in her heart were beyond words. She didn’t want to move a single finger.

Seeing this, Wang Ping also breathed a sigh of relief.

If earlier it was for the sake of Chen Haoyan’s martial arts manuals, then just now had been purely to coax Madam Su, and he had truly put in a grueling amount of effort to do so.

But it couldn’t be helped. Since things had reached this point, he couldn’t just pull up his pants, refuse to acknowledge her, and cut ties cleanly. How would he be any different from Chen Haoyan then? Furthermore, she was a woman with a bitter fate to begin with; if he let her down again, she might truly seek death.

Deep in the night, exhausted, Madam Su had already fallen into a heavy sleep.

After Wang Ping settled her in, he walked out of the room and into the courtyard. He circulated his spiritual sense, feeling the current state inside his body.

In his spiritual sense’s vision, the three yang and three yin of his hands and feet—the twelve regular meridians—were impressively brimming with Internal Force. They built a circulation with one another, stretching open into an immense network that covered his entire body. Although there were still many gaps and omissions, it was fundamentally complete, pulsing rhythmically in time with his breathing.

The twelve regular meridians perfected; the Microcosmic Orbit Physique!

”This is way too fast...”

Astonished, Wang Ping couldn’t help but shoot another glance toward Youren Temple. The methods of these court-certified extraordinary person alchemists were simply too profound.

A mere few pills had saved him at least ten years of bitter cultivation!

Were there any more?

At this thought, his gaze toward Youren Temple rippled slightly. He licked his lips, but quickly suppressed the greed in his heart.

”I can’t let this get to my head.”

”Although I’m an Internal Force Martial Master now, the martial arts I practice are the same as Chen Haoyan’s. It might be decent for a small county town, but it’s not enough if I bring it out into the wider world.”

He still needed to keep a low profile.

Right at this moment, Wang Ping’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He raised his head, looking toward a figure sprinting swiftly toward him under the veil of the night.

”Who goes there!”

”It’s me.”

The voice belonged to Liu Ye. The veteran bailiff’s face was flushed with excitement, and upon seeing Wang Ping, he revealed a somewhat teasing expression.

”Yo, isn’t this Little Wang?”

”Why aren’t you staying next door? Have you moved into Madam Su’s room?”

Hearing this, Wang Ping’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. ”Madam graciously invited me; I could only respectfully obey. Sigh, I’m honestly not interested in these sorts of things.”

Liu Ye: ”...”

Shameless bastard!

Considering the late hour, Liu Ye couldn’t be bothered to talk nonsense. Shooting Wang Ping a dirty look, he cut straight to the chase. With a flick of his wrist, he threw a manual directly at him.

”This is...?” Wang Ping asked, taken aback.

”To broaden your horizons, kid.” Liu Ye smiled smugly. ”I’ll tell you the truth: your older brother here has already secretly earned the county magistrate’s favor.”

”A few days ago, His Excellency not only personally empowered me, but he also imparted his supreme true martial art to me. I’m now a proper Internal Force Martial Master. The position of chief constable is already in the bag, and the county yamen’s grand competition in a month is just a formality... Well, what do you think? Am I impressive or what?”

Empowered? True martial art?

Wang Ping looked down at the manual Liu Ye had thrown over, while the latter continued speaking, ”Don’t say I don’t look out for you. I thought of you the very first moment I could.”

”This is the true martial art His Excellency imparted to me.”

”I specifically asked His Excellency for permission to secretly pass it on to you. Take it back and train hard. Later on, your brother here will promote you to be my deputy...”

Liu Ye was still endlessly rattling off his visions for the future.

On the other hand, Wang Ping’s breathing had stopped completely. The moment he saw the manual, all his thoughts froze, leaving him virtually unable to think.

A second later, Liu Ye’s voice drifted over.

”Oh, right, this is the Internal Force I cultivated after His Excellency empowered me. Take a look...”

Hearing this, Wang Ping suddenly snapped his head up. He saw a faint light glowing in Liu Ye’s hand, as rolling energy emitted a sound like a dragon’s roar under the night sky.

He couldn’t be any clearer on what this was.

Enslaved Dragon Force!

In an instant, it was like a pebble dropping onto a calm lake, or a butterfly landing on a spiderweb, triggering a critical mechanism.

Within Wang Ping’s body, the newly cultivated Heavenly Roc Force stirred.

This was completely out of his control. Heavenly Roc Force and Enslaved Dragon Force were two sides of the same coin. Within a certain distance, the two would naturally sense each other.

Normally, this wasn’t a bad thing. The very moment the Heavenly Roc Force fluctuated, Wang Ping clearly sensed Liu Ye’s internal organs, qi and blood, muscles, and bones—even every change in his bodily functions. With a single thought, he could cause those bodily functions to collapse in an instant.

This was only natural.

After all, he was a Roc Master, and Liu Ye had already been reduced to an enslaved dragon—a puppet who still didn’t even realize it. Liu Ye posed absolutely no threat to him, and his life and death rested on Wang Ping’s whim.

However, the problem was—there was another Roc Master in this county town.

Oh no!!!

Realizing this, Wang Ping’s expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he leaped back to widen the distance, only to halt all his movements at the very end.

There was no other reason than it being too late.

”To think it was actually you.”

A calm voice drifted out from the darkness, carrying a heavy dose of surprise. ”In just a few short days, not only have you successfully cultivated the physique, but your Internal Force is actually this abundant.”

”It seems you’ve obtained the physique diagram I imparted to Chen Haoyan back then.”

”And you’ve eaten just about all of those pills as well.”

”You were the one who killed Chen Haoyan.”

”Are you a member of the White Lotus Sect?”

Before the voice faded, a figure appeared out of thin air within the Su Family Estate. Wearing official robes, he exuded an aura of imposing authority. It was none other than Longxing County’s venerable magistrate.

Magistrate Xu Bingzheng.