Scripture of Days Past

Sixteenth year of the Yong’an Era, October 5th.

Chu Qiguang was watching a pair of combatants clash on the training ground.

One of them was none other than Jiang Longyu, while his opponent was Zhong Shan’e, who looked as if he were taking a leisurely stroll with one hand clasped behind his back.

His body resembled a blurry shadow, and Jiang Longyu’s saber couldn’t even graze the corner of his robe.

All of a sudden, Zhong Shan’e’s right hand vanished for a split second, and a resounding boom rang out as the saber in Jiang Longyu’s hand shattered into pieces.

Jiang Longyu stopped in his tracks, panting heavily, while Zhong Shan’e began appraising his performance.

Immediately thereafter, he abruptly vanished from the spot, only to return moments later with a new saber in his grasp.

He tossed it to Jiang Longyu and instructed, ”Continue. While honing your saber techniques, you must also refine your qi and blood to lay the foundation for your breakthrough to the fifth state.”

He made a trip to the storehouse and back with a new saber in such a short time? It looks like Lightning Screech really does grant its cultivator extraordinary speed. My eyes can’t even track him right now. Is the gap between the fifth state and the Dao Comprehension state this vast? Chu Qiguang thought.

Back when Chu Qiguang was at the fourth state, he had felt that he could at least get away from a fifth-state opponent, even if he was no match for them in battle.

However, the more he witnessed Zhong Shan’e in action, the more powerless he felt. If Zhong Shan’e were determined to take his life, even escaping would be nothing more than a pipe dream.

Zhong Shan’e turned to Chu Qiguang and urged, ”Chu Qiguang, make sure to keep up with your cultivation of the Blood Activation Arts. The more progress you make in the Blood Activation Arts, the faster you’ll be able to progress in your cultivation.”

***

Sixteenth year of the Yong’an Era, October.

Thanks to the dragon ocular power boon, Chu Qiguang could now see how much longer he needed to cultivate the Sumeru King Scripture to reach the Dao Comprehension state. The problem was that four thousand nine hundred and twenty days equated to thirteen to fourteen years of nonstop cultivation without a single break.

Chu Qiguang was willing to put in the time, but cultivating the Sumeru King Scripture for such a long time would leave him extremely susceptible to demonification.

Even if I cultivate without rest, I’ll be over thirty by the time I reach the Dao Comprehension state through the Sumeru King Scripture. Wouldn’t that mean my aptitude is even worse than the head instructor’s?

Surely this couldn’t be the case. In the year since he had begun his journey as a martial artist, he had yet to meet anyone with aptitude superior to his, whether it was Jiang Longyu, Yi Siman, or Zhong Shan’e.

My cultivation method must be wrong. Brute-force cultivation is probably the slowest way to master the Sumeru King Scripture. I have to find other ways to reduce the cultivation time required.

Just as reading Buddhist scriptures reduced the countdown, Chu Qiguang was certain there had to be other ways to shorten it as well.

***

Sixteenth year of the Yong’an Era, mid-October.

”Iron Arm Arts, a cultivation art that strengthens the body and enhances the power of one’s fists.”

As Chu Qiguang examined the cultivation art before him, a line of text appeared in his field of view:

”3 days 4 hours 45 minutes 12 seconds.”

The Iron Arm Arts was one of the dozen or so cultivation arts that Yang Ling had procured for him.

The Hunter Hand Faction has determined that the Vajra Laws, the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts, and the Primordial High Zenith Qigong can aid in the cultivation of the Sumeru Strength Scripture, so what about other physical cultivation arts?

Chu Qiguang planned to cultivate the Iron Arm Arts to whether it would reduce the countdown.

Just as the countdown indicated, it took Chu Qiguang three days to master the Iron Arm Arts. When he cultivated the Sumeru King Scripture the following day, he discovered that an hour had been taken off the countdown.

I cultivated for three days just to reduce it by a single hour? That wasn’t worth it at all! It seems there really is something special about the Vajra Laws and the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts.

Unwilling to give up on the idea just yet, Chu Qiguang decided to choose a cultivation art that was more complex than the Iron Arm Arts.

”Heavenly Blood Gale Force, strengthens the bones, tendons, and internal organs.”

”78 days 18 hours 43 minutes 57 seconds.”

Chu Qiguang immediately decided against it. Seventy-eight days was far too much time to invest in something like this.

***

Sixteenth year of the Yong’an Era, late October.

Bursts of scorching heat erupted from Chu Qiguang’s body and swept through the entire room.

Finally, I’ve reached the first level of the Blood Activation Arts!

He had been cultivating the Blood Activation Arts on a every day for the past month, and he had finally managed to reach the first level.

The Blood Activation Arts is supposed to increase my cultivation speed, so maybe...

Chu Qiguang pulled out the Heavenly Blood Gale Force cultivation art once again. This time, the countdown displayed:

”48 days 6 hours 34 minutes 22 seconds.”

Even though I’ve only reached the first level of the Blood Activation Arts, the cultivation time required has already been reduced by a month!

***

Sixteenth year of the Yong’an Era, end of October.

The day had come for Chu Qiguang to read another page from the second floor of the archive building.

If the boon I receive this time can elevate one of my cultivation arts, I’ll use it on the Blood Activation Arts.

Once again, he chose a page from the Corpse Codex, but the most of its contents consisted of deranged, unintelligible ramblings.

The knowledge contained in the Corpse Codex was extremely alluring to ghosts, so to ensure Lin Lan’s safety, Chu Qiguang had convinced her to search for Buddhist scriptures for him elsewhere in the archive building.

Hence, at this moment, Chu Qiguang was accompanied only by the gatekeeper.

All of a sudden, Chu Qiguang spotted a passage of text on the page that was written in different handwriting from the rest, and it looked as if someone had scribbled it down in a hurry.

Even so, the handwriting was still quite elegant, and it gave Chu Qiguang a sense of familiarity.

***

Those who possess knowledge will be compelled to pursue more, but they must be careful because they will also be pursued by knowledge, turning them into demons or ghosts. Knowledge attracts, so the more knowledge that is obtained, the greater the temptation to obtain even more.