Ghost Catching System

Finally, they made it up the mountain. The journey had taken almost six hours. Mount Taiding was so well-hidden. No wonder even Zhao Gousheng had little information about it.

”We’re here,” Master Wuzhong said.

This place was the Tai Ding Taoist Temple. Before them lay a vast plaza paved with bluestones marked by the passage of time. At its center stood a lifelike stone statue of Laozi riding a green ox.

Chu Hao was amazed too. Mount Taiding is definitely no ordinary place; it must have powerful masters, perhaps very strong ones at that.

Since arriving here, he found the True Qi within his body flowed much more smoothly than usual. Once depleted, it recovered much faster than in the outside world. Is this what they call a Spirit Vein?

Spirit Veins were rare in the world. If one cultivated in such a place, they could extend their lifespan year by year.

For cultivators, these were called blessed lands—the best places for cultivation.

This Mount Taiding is something else.

Chu Hao couldn’t help thinking, If I had such a Spirit Vein, could I establish the Ritian Sect and amass Pretentiousness Points effortlessly?

The walls of the Taoist Temple were majestic, and the temple itself seemed to house a fair number of Taoist priests.

Liang Qian said, ”This is Mount Taiding, a beautiful place indeed.”

Young Master Ji Cheng, seeing Master Wuzhong, his martial uncle, walk away, said proudly, ”Of course. Even the people from Longhu Mountain are envious of our Mount Taiding.”

Seeing his smooth response, Liang Qian gave a flattering smile and asked, ”How many Taoist priests are there here?”

”One hundred and twenty-three. Our Tai Ding Taoist Temple is strict about accepting disciples; only those with a talent for cultivation are permitted to ascend the mountain,” Master Ji Cheng responded promptly.

Qiu Yun’er had finally reached Mount Taiding, but she had no time to enjoy the scenery. She asked anxiously, ”Where is Master?”

Master Wuzhong said, ”Follow me.”

He led Qiu Yun’er into the Taoist Temple. Chu Hao tried to follow, but a priest outside the temple stopped him, saying, ”Patron, outsiders are not allowed to enter the Taoist Temple.”

Qiu Yun’er turned her head and said, ”Brother Chu Hao, let me go in by myself.”

Chu Hao hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. ”If anything happens, come out and find me.”

”Okay.”

Since they had arrived, he wasn’t worried about what they might do. If anything happens to Yun’er, I’ll make sure Mount Taiding pays dearly.

He waited for four hours. During this time, a Taoist priest brought them tea, but Chu Hao was beginning to get impatient.

At that moment, young Master Ji Cheng came out of the Taoist Temple and said, ”Martial Sister Yun’er asked me to tell you that she’s fine, and you may leave the mountain now.”

What does that mean?

Chu Hao narrowed his eyes and asked, ”Why isn’t Yun’er coming out herself?”

Master Ji Cheng replied, ”She said that she has left the secular world behind and that you all should return.”

Chu Hao stood up, his voice cold. ”Are you joking with me?”

With that, he walked towards the inside of the Taoist Temple.

Master Ji Cheng shouted, ”How dare you! You commoners are not permitted to barge into the Taoist Temple!”

As Master Ji Cheng reached out to grab Chu Hao, Liang Qian’s eyes flashed coldly. With a flick of her delicate fingers, Master Ji Cheng suddenly jerked his hand back, feeling as if he had been pricked by a needle.

”OUCH!” Master Ji Cheng cried, looking down to find a tiny needle embedded in the back of his hand. His palm began to tremble, and it slowly turned black.

”A poison needle!” Master Ji Cheng exclaimed in horror.

By this time, Chu Hao had already entered the Taoist Temple. The temple was large, with its own gardens, forests, and waterscapes. He walked on, crossing through corridors and reaching the inner sections.

A lofty voice rang out, ”Qiu Yun, are you willing to become the Saintess of the Tai Ding Taoist Temple?”

Qiu Yun’er sobbed. ”If I become the Saintess, can Master be saved?”

The voice affirmed, ”Yes.”

”I... I want to see the people outside.”

The voice continued, ”You have severed ties with the mortal world. To save your Master, you must break all connections with worldly people. Do not forget you are a follower of Taoism.”

Qiu Yun’er didn’t answer; she was conflicted.

”Bring forth the Holy Water!”

Chu Hao, standing outside, clearly heard the conversation inside. His heart stirred, and he immediately became furious.

Damn it! They actually said Yun’er doesn’t want to see me. So Mount Taiding thinks it’s so great, and Taoism thinks it’s so great? There are still hypocrites among them!

Chu Hao kicked open the main gate of the Taoist Temple. Seeing the scene inside, he completely erupted.

He saw Qiu Yun’er being supported by two people and brought to a central pool. She was dressed in nothing more than a thin layer of clothing, her eyes red as if she had been crying heavily.

At that moment, she was about to be pushed into the pool. Is this what they call a Holy Water baptism?

A group of Taoist priests watched with indifferent expressions. None spoke, as if all this was just part of the process.

Chu Hao became furious. ”Whoever dares to bully Yun’er, I will take his life!”

There were quite a few people in the central hall of the Taoist Temple, about a dozen or so. They wore Taoist robes and were clearly not ordinary Taoist priests. They were stunned when Chu Hao suddenly broke in.

”Who dares to intrude into the Taoist Temple? Seize him!”

The same voice that had previously asked Qiu Yun to become the Saintess spoke again. It belonged to a middle-aged man with a square face, dressed in a dark-colored Taoist robe, his eyes glinting with determination.

Among these people, Master Wuzhong was also present. He made the first move, his movements extremely fast as he lunged for Chu Hao.

”Foolish boy, you don’t know your place!” Master Wuzhong could barely contain himself. This is my chance to properly deal with Chu Hao, a moment I’ve long awaited!

Chu Hao was furious. Anyone who provoked him would suffer the consequences.

As soon as Chu Hao saw the attack, he lifted his leg and kicked out, far quicker than Master Wuzhong could comprehend. A massive force struck Master Wuzhong in the chest. Like a cannonball, he was flung across the main hall of the Taoist Temple, spewing fresh blood, his complexion turning deathly pale.

Master Wuzhong pointed at Chu Hao, unable to articulate a word.

This... has this young man been pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger all along?

”Ding... The Host has shocked with pretentiousness, gaining 2,000 Pretentiousness Points.”

The other Taoist priests were also startled. They knew Master Wuzhong’s capabilities very well; yet, despite making a preemptive move, he had been kicked away so easily. The force of that one kick was so powerful that fine cracks appeared on the floor where Master Wuzhong had fallen.

Master Wuzhong was livid and extremely unwilling to accept this, staring fixedly at Chu Hao.

Chu Hao ignored him. His gaze was exceptionally cold as he swept it over all the Taoist priests present, saying icily, ”Who else wants to touch my Yun’er?”

He now exuded a terrifying aura, completely different from before. True Qi leaked from him, several times more formidable than Inner Strength, like a massive mountain pressing down on everyone’s chest.

Inner Strength and True Qi represent a clear watershed. Some train in martial arts and cultivation from childhood, developing Inner Strength within their bodies. However, breaking through from Inner Strength to True Qi is as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

”An Inborn Expert!” The square-faced Taoist priest on the dais exclaimed, his expression changing.

Inborn?

The other Taoist priests, upon hearing this, showed a drastic change in expression. They stared at Chu Hao in astonishment. This Inborn Expert is far too young!