Chapter 41: Becoming an Immortal Cultivator
\n\u201cDeal!\u201d
\nKnife King\u2019s heart raced. Before stumbling upon the \u2018inheritance,\u2019 he\u2019d been a third-rate Jianghu bodyguard who\u2019d never laid eyes on such wealth.
\nOnce paid, he handed over his cultivation method without hesitation.
\nLeaks? If cultivation methods leaked that easily, Immortal Cultivators wouldn\u2019t be so rare.
\n\u201cYour generosity honors me, Senior.\u201d
\nYoung Master Wang hadn\u2019t expected such smooth dealings. After skimming the booklet, he tucked it away, exchanged brief pleasantries, and rushed off.
\nKnife King didn\u2019t bother escorting him\u2014why would a revered master play messenger after being paid?
\nYoung Master Wang knew the drill. Outside the inn, dozens of elite guards formed a protective ring around him, deterring opportunistic Jianghu onlookers. Clan heirs always came prepared.
\nHe traveled nonstop toward Luoshui, yet despite his caution, bandits ambushed him.
\nIn a remote inn, a young official\u2019s daughter\u2014Li Yuanyuan\u2014stood with her entourage, a bald monk (Jie Nian), and an ordinary-looking Jianghu wanderer (Luo San). They stared at the unconscious guards and Young Master Wang sprawled on the floor. These were the same group that survived the Black Forest\u2019s underground palace. Luo San had escaped the forest after gaining a wisp of power from Zuo Meng. No one cared about Jiang Luoyan\u2019s fate anymore.
\n\u201cThis is it?\u201d Li Yuanyuan frowned at the booklet looted from Young Master Wang.
\nSince the Black Forest incident, she\u2019d obsessed over Immortal Cultivators. She\u2019d searched tirelessly for Zuo Meng, but someone of his power couldn\u2019t be found unless he wished it. Shifting tactics, she\u2019d tracked Young Master Wang\u2019s quest for cultivation methods, setting up this ambush.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s genuine,\u201d Jie Nian said. Having studied at Cold Mountain Temple and met Jie Ming, he recognized authentic methods.
\n\u201cThen let\u2019s practice!\u201d
\n\u201cPatience.\u201d Jie Nian made copies for the trio, ignoring Li Yuanyuan\u2019s guards.
\n\u201cMaster, did you truly abandon monastic life?\u201d Li Yuanyuan asked, relaxed now that they had the method.
\n\u201cI left to settle unfinished business. Leaving the temple isn\u2019t the same as abandoning the path.\u201d Jie Nian\u2019s terse reply discouraged further questions.
\n\u201cI take my leave,\u201d Luo San said. A creature of shadows, he vanished after securing his copy.
\n\u201cShall we try cultivating together? We can troubleshoot issues.\u201d Li Yuanyuan\u2019s eyes sparkled, recalling how Zuo Meng had once flown her across the city. She craved that power.
\n\u201cVery well.\u201d Curiosity outweighed Jie Nian\u2019s caution.
\nThey bought herbs in town and holed up in a abandoned temple, vowing not to leave until they succeeded.
\n\u201cThis looks\u2026 unorthodox.\u201d Li Yuanyuan eyed the cauldron\u2019s brew\u2014herbs mixed with squirming Poisonous Insects.
\n\u201cKnife King\u2019s \u2018Divine Elephant Technique\u2019 requires visualizing a totem. The Great Void Wisdom Scripture describes divine elephants as prison-keepers of immense ferocity. Harsh methods suit such a path,\u201d Jie Nian explained, remembering how Knife King\u2019s strikes had overpowered even Cold Mountain Temple\u2019s welcoming monk.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll test it.\u201d Feeling indebted for Li Yuanyuan\u2019s resources and Luo San\u2019s poisoning skills, Jie Nian acted first.
\nHe dipped a finger in the black concoction and smeared it on his brow. Following the manual\u2019s instructions, he circulated energy while visualizing the elephant totem.
\nOne cycle. Ten cycles.
\nAt the tenth repetition, heat exploded from his forehead. The mental elephant roared, dragging his consciousness into a primordial void\u2014a realm of towering Totem Era beasts.
\n*Boom!*
\nPower surged. Jie Nian collapsed.
\n\u201cMaster!\u201d Li Yuanyuan shook him, but his mind was already drowning in the elephant\u2019s primal might\u2026
\nTotem Awakening!
\nHours later, wisps of gray mist seeped from Jie Nian\u2019s unconscious form. The \u2018inheritance\u2019 had chosen him. The monk who abandoned Cold Mountain Temple to chase immortality had finally stepped onto the cultivation path.
\nMeanwhile, in a Suzhou alleyway shop, Zuo Meng opened his eyes.
\n\u201cThey\u2019ve touched the totems, then.\u201d
\nHe recognized the energy signatures\u2014Jie Nian, Li Yuanyuan, and Zhi Hua in the city. Three acquaintances now bore inherited totems. From his creator\u2019s vantage, any totem memorable enough to catch his notice held formidable potential.
\n\u201cThings grow interesting.\u201d
\nClosing his eyes, Zuo Meng returned to his meditative herding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 41: Becoming an Immortal Cultivator \u201cDeal!\u201d Knife King\u2019s heart raced. Before stumbling upon the \u2018inheritance,\u2019 he\u2019d been a third-rate Jianghu bodyguard who\u2019d never laid eyes on such wealth. Once paid, he handed over his cultivation method without hesitation. Leaks? If cultivation methods leaked that easily, Immortal Cultivators wouldn\u2019t be so rare. \u201cYour generosity honors me, Senior.\u201d Young Master Wang hadn\u2019t expected such smooth\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3],"tags":[],"fcn_genre":[],"fcn_fandom":[],"fcn_character":[],"fcn_content_warning":[],"class_list":["post-1420","fcn_chapter","type-fcn_chapter","status-publish","hentry","category-dreaming-to-become-a-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fcn_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1420\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1420"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_genre?post=1420"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_fandom?post=1420"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_character","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_character?post=1420"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_content_warning","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_content_warning?post=1420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}