Scripture of Days Past

Chu Qiguang was very pleased with the changes that had taken place in his body.

Right now, if I channel my Primordial High Zenith Demonic Arts, no third- or fourth-state martial artist would be able to put so much as a scratch on me, even with a weapon.

He looked down at his own feet, but there were still only four tentacles extending from his shadow. Clearly, this breakthrough in his Primordial High Zenith Demonic Arts wasn’t quite enough to bring out a fifth tentacle.

There seemed to be a diminishing returns effect, with each additional tentacle requiring more than the last.

He reread the contents of the page to refresh his memory, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

The first-ever demonic tainting only occurred shortly before the Great Han Empire was founded? There were no demonic taintings before that? If that’s the case, then the demonic tainting really did the founding father of the Great Han Empire a massive favor. According to these records, countless mighty cultivators perished during the demonic tainting. If not for that, it would’ve been very difficult for him to found an empire that ruled over the central plains.

This also explains why the Heavenly Master Religion has experienced such a meteoric rise over the past two hundred years, given that following its doctrines can help one ward off demonic tainting. Looking at it from the perspective of a conspiracy theorist, it almost seems as if the founding father of the Great Han Empire worked together with the Heavenly Master Religion to bring about the first-ever demonic tainting.

The Vajra Monastery was also affected by demonic tainting, but the incident from two hundred years ago was different from the more recent case, which arose from their fixation on fire and the Buddha. How did that second case of demonic tainting come about?

All of a sudden, Chu Qiguang caught a whiff of an intense, foul odor, and he turned to discover a strange-looking humanoid creature.

The creature had bulging white eyes and gray skin that appeared slick and cold, while its entire body was covered in greenish-yellow slime.

However, it disappeared before Chu Qiguang could get a clear look of it.

So the demonic tainting really can spread verbally and through written text. Compared with what I just saw, I have to say that the description provided was very accurate. If I tell someone about what I saw, they’ll become affected by the demonic tainting as well.

The gatekeeper and Lin Lan had been keeping a close eye on Chu Qiguang the entire time. Now that he had clearly finished rereading the page, the gatekeeper asked, ”Are you alright?”

A screeching voice suddenly rang out in Chu Qiguang’s ears, and he knew that it was another auditory hallucination.

”I’m fine,” Chu Qiguang replied.

Only an idiot would admit he was experiencing these hallucinations!

The gatekeeper was truly astonished. Never had he seen anyone remain so composed after reading scriptures from the second floor.

After deciding on the next date that he could return to continue his reading, Chu Qiguang chatted with Lin Lan for a while before being kicked out by the gatekeeper.

***

The next day, during the martial arts lesson, Chu Qiguang asked Yang Ling to teach him a new martial art.

He had long been aware of his flaws as a martial artist, and his battle against Yi Siman had served as a poignant reminder of them.

The Primordial High Zenith Demonic Arts has significantly enhanced my physical constitution, while the power of the Heavenly Demon Vanquishing Palms is unmatched, and the Undying Seal excels at redirecting force. Right now, I need two complementary movement techniques.

The first must grant me superior agility, allowing me to evade attacks that I can’t withstand with my Primordial High Zenith Demonic Arts or redirect with the Undying Seal. The second movement technique needs to focus more on explosive bursts of speed, allowing me to flee from or pursue my opponents.

Yang Ling was very pleased to hear Chu Qiguang’s request. He had been considering how he could convince Chu Qiguang to pursue more martial arts techniques, so this was playing right into his hands.

”I recommend that you cultivate the Star Shifting Shadow Movement Techniques and the Soaring Cloud Piercing Step. The Star Shifting Shadow Movement Techniques combine movement techniques from multiple different factions and excel in agility, versatility, and unpredictability, whereas the Soaring Cloud Piercing Step is unmatched when it comes to enhancing absolute speed...”

Yang Ling heaped unreserved praise on the two movement techniques, hoping to convince Chu Qiguang to devote more of his attention to them.

You were lucky last time that the Primordial High Zenith Qigong just so happened to perfectly complement your physical aptitude, but these two movement techniques both focus on agility, speed, and variation, completely contradicting the cultivation doctrines of the Primordial High Zenith Qigong. I’ve never heard of anyone cultivating all three of these techniques at once!

Yang Ling could already imagine Chu Qiguang’s despair and disillusionment after wasting several months on the two movement techniques without achieving any results.

Right at this moment, Jiang Longyu’s voice rang out from afar.

”Come over here, Instructor Yang. I have some questions for you...”

Yang Ling immediately tossed the manuals for the two movement techniques to Chu Qiguang before abandoning him for Jiang Longyu.

After all, Chu Qiguang was merely someone that he was trying to take revenge on in passing, while Jiang Longyu was going to be his ticket back to the capital.

Chu Qiguang didn’t mind at all. He preferred going to the courtyard that housed the giant boulder and cultivating on his own anyway.

Upon arriving at the secluded courtyard, Chu Qiguang began cultivating the Star Shifting Shadow Movement Techniques.

The manual contained eighteen basic movement techniques that could be used in countless different combinations. When used in conjunction with one’s qi and blood, they could even blur the user’s figure and create afterimages.

The Star Shifting Shadow Movement Techniques had four levels. The first level allowed the cultivator to create one layer of afterimages, while the fourth level produced four layers.

Chu Qiguang began diligently practicing the Star Shifting Shadow Movement Techniques every day. During this process, he quickly realized that the cultivation doctrines of the movement techniques conflicted with those of the Primordial High Zenith Demonic Arts, so this most likely wasn’t going to be smooth sailing.

Looks like I’ll have to rely on my aptitude to carry me.

***

On Jade Face Mountain, there was never any shortage of food or cultivation resources. Advanced school trainees like Chu Qiguang had access to medicines such as Hundred Refinement Ointment, Qi Enhancement Pills, and Ginseng Ganoderma Pill every month. In addition to that, they could even receive martial arts guidance from the head instructor, who was a Dao Comprehension-state martial god.

Time always flew by in a blur for Chu Qiguang, and he would often spend several hours absorbed in his cultivation or studies without even realizing it.

In the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed, and summer had arrived on Jade Face Mountain.