Hiss— Just hiss— Can you take a sharp breath in already!
Li Fan was truly goddamn shocked!
So shocked that he couldn't even bother to criticize that the system was tearing him down at a time like this!
I mean, I earnestly sought the Way, only wanting to cultivate a righteous path, and yet you demons and ghouls, you're actually coveting my pure and innocent body!? Is there no justice left! Is there no law! Pah! Evil—heart!
Master Wangshu thought the young boy was frightened silly and comfortingly whispered, "Qingyue, there's no need to worry. You must understand that the pursuit of cultivation is inherently about defying the heavens and changing fate, taking from the inadequate to supplement the abundant, which goes against the natural order. Hence, along the path of cultivation, tribulations are endless, and calamities never cease.
Even when the post-celestial path of immortality was in vogue, there were still the heavenly, earthly, and human calamities, the disasters of earth, water, fire, and wind. Even among cultivators, there were debates over profound demons, divides between good and evil, but, in the end, it was all just a pretext for slaughter in the name of some noble cause, when in fact, it was all for the sake of competing for blessed lands, resources for cultivation, and companions.
It wasn't until later, when the ethereal moon dominated the sky, that our kin obtained the great pre-celestial Way, and the situation somewhat improved.
Simply because those born by the heavens could, if they had spiritual roots, seek the Way by paying homage to the moon. By some stroke of luck, if they encountered a being-not-being ordinary mortal, they could also resonate with it.
And those who hadn't severed their Three Corpses, were ridden with karmic debts, and harbored ulterior motives, upon hearing the great Way, were all the more likely to secretly conceive demonic offspring in their minds. The higher their realm of cultivation, the more likely they were to stray from the path and transform into a demon of being-not-being.
Such demons that have strayed cannot be redeemed and must also practice by consuming humans. These beings-not-beings of evil and not righteousness, should be killed without pity. Moreover, we can gather resources for cultivation from their demonic carcasses. Those that become beings can be refined into magical treasures. Those that become non-beings can be taken for nourishment.
Take Bamboo Mountain, for instance, which was nothing more than a gathering place for wild barbarians practicing side paths and Zuodao as scattered cultivators, yet now it has become a great sect that suppresses all sides, all by grasping the chance to comprehend the great Way. Merely by eliminating a few fallen great cultivators daily, we're able to support the cultivation needs of an entire sect. Let alone the famous schools of Central Earth with their numerous disciples.
Therefore, the cultivation world today, unlike the past where various sects and schools fought over the orthodox Way and exterminated each other at the drop of a hat, has seen much less of such slaughter. Sects even often send out their disciples to roam the world, eliminating the strange and demonic beings scattered among the human paths, which is also acting on behalf of Heaven. Isn't that wonderful?
So Qingyue, as long as you stay true to your Daoist heart, keep your human form in mind, and with the protection of Bamboo Mountain, your cultivation will naturally proceed smoothly without worry about other matters."
I mean, you're glaring at me with that sickly sweet face, and somehow, I'm not quite convinced!
And could you please wipe away your drool while you're talking? It's all over my face!
'Li Fan's mood improved slightly by 1 point.'
System, get the hell out of my face!
"Cough cough, Lady Wangshu, I understand now. Then how about starting by teaching me some spells, like sword flight, so if I encounter some being-not-being thing, I can't beat it but can still run away, right?"
Li Fan forced a smile and decided in his heart that as soon as he learned how to fly, he would take the first opportunity to escape from this demon-infested den.
"Giggle, you haven't even transformed a single breath of true qi, and you're already thinking of flying." Perhaps flattered to be called a fairy, Lady Wangshu laughed charmingly, stood up, and stretched her lotus-like jade legs in front of Li Fan, "Alright, alright, look how anxious you are. I'll take you to choose a qi-cultivation and foundation-building technique right now. Hold onto my leg, don't fall down."
'Li Fan's mood greatly improved by 1 point.'
Hey, System, did you hear that? She told me to cling to her coattails!
Li Fan didn't stand on ceremony and tucked the teardrops given by the sect leader into his pocket, reaching out to hug Lady Wangshu's calf.
Alas, although he knew she was but a painted skeleton, the skeleton was really so soft, fragrant, and slippery... ouch... I can't take it...
'Li Fan's mood greatly improved by 1 point.'
'Li Fan's mood greatly improved by 1 point.'
Lady Wangshu also smiled with a twinkle, flicking her palms as she made mystical signs. With her left hand, she retracted the heron she was sitting on, transforming it into a jade hairpin carved with a heron's head and tucked it into her hair. With a flick of her right hand, a golden bracelet on her right wrist began to shake and leap up, growing larger and larger, enveloping both of them at its center.
Then Li Fan couldn't even pay attention to the white and shapely legs in front of him, only seeing the scenery around him—misty clouds and colorful mists—racing backward with astonishing speed, much faster than when they rode the heron, without any strong wind in the face. In just a blink of an eye, he passed through various immortal mountains and towers like a streak of light, probably what was known as "flying with a magical instrument."
Um... To be honest, he had always thought that flying on a sword would be like skateboarding under his feet...
In just the blink of an eye, they landed in a large mansion. Seeing there were quite a few people in the yard and worrying about the impression it might give, Li Fan reluctantly let go of the leg.
'Li Fan's mood slightly decreased by 1 point'
Li Fan rolled his eyes, too lazy to be angry with the system, and looked into the courtyard. There, he saw a three-legged cauldron, two zhang in both length and width, in the center of the outer courtyard, with carvings of flying herons and green toads, dragon patterns, and rhinoceros heads; it spat out wisps of lingering smoke from its mouth.
Around the cauldron, in three concentric circles, sat sixteen, eight, and four mats, respectively, with several young cultivators meditating on them. Judging by their physique, they weren't much older than Li Fan himself, all dressed in simple fur-lined robes, tied with hemp ropes and wearing straw sandals. Their attire was very simple indeed.
But each one of them was delicately fair-skinned, plastered with makeup; their waists adorned with gold-threaded silk purses, their hands, wrists, and necks laden with gold and jade, completely rung up, looking like live-streaming hosts selling goods, which was quite out of harmony...