Wang Yuan carefully opened the thick, unnamed book.
After a brief glance, he quickly skipped over the obscure scripture at the beginning that prayed to the "West Queen Holy Mother"—"West Queen Holy Mother Divine Transformation Scripture."
This must be the fundamental scripture of the "Peach God Tao," as well as the symbol of its believers.
However, Wang Yuan had learned from the lesson of the Wild Dog Taoist and was not prepared to chant any strange divine names with unknown details, nor would he ask for miraculous abilities from these heterodox sect venerable gods.
Next were some strange anecdotes, various common knowledge, precautions, and over a dozen alchemy recipes with different effects, all recorded by the Wild Dog Taoist... Wang Yuan skimmed past each one.
As the remaining part of the book grew thinner, even empty pages without writing began to appear in the middle.
It was not until the last few pages of the book, which were obviously bound a second time and made of a different material—Green Vine Paper—that he finally found what he was looking for.
On three or four slightly greenish pages, were densely packed tiny characters and talismans that looked like ghostly scrawls.
It generally discussed how to set up the Dharma Altar, write talismans, perform the Sealing Technique, chant spells, and seek treasure materials...as well as the corresponding Precept Taboos.
And among these, including the Wild Dog Taoist's primary practiced "Human Face Painting Skill," were recounted the cultivation secrets of three whole Divine Power Skills!
"Great luck follows great misfortune; this truly is a Taoist Book containing Magic!
Since one must rigorously follow the Precept Taboos, before even becoming a Magician one probably needs to mull over them constantly, to avoid straying onto the wrong path."
The other items in the sack had long been forgotten by Wang Yuan, who, using the light from Ghost Street, immediately began to study these three techniques.
The first technique was the "Human Face Painting Skill" that the Wild Dog Taoist planned to use as his Dao Foundation.
It originated from the direct teachings of the "Peach God Tao."
Once the Taoist Skill was somewhat accomplished, one could use it as the Dao Foundation to receive the "Divine Talisman" bestowed by the "West Queen Holy Mother," and then create one's own "Divine Power Talisman," ascending to the first realm of Taoist Skill—the "Red Seal Mage."
This first phase was called "Receiving Talisman" Enlightenment.
From then on, one could transform into anything or anyone without detection, even by high experts skilled in Observing Qi and Fortune.
Once accomplished as a Magician, one could retain the core abilities of the slain person—Danqing, medical skill, military skill, smelting...even other magicians' Divine Power Skills.
Although it could only assist in the early stages, once fully grown, its abilities could be extremely powerful and versatile.
Below, a note from the Wild Dog Taoist was recorded:
"Since childhood, my appearance differed from ordinary people and I was often mocked by my neighbors..."
Upon reading this, Wang Yuan understood that the man had been born with a dog-like face and was frequently ridiculed.
Even if he visited half-covered brothel doors with a hefty sum of silver, the prostitutes were not necessarily willing to receive him, and if they did, they were extraordinarily perfunctory.
In contrast, those handsome young men, even with empty pockets, only needed to recite a couple of pedantic poems to have plenty of courtesans serving them without taking a penny.
How unbearable! When the Wild Dog Taoist initially chose the foundation establishment Taoist Skill, he was determined that once he had mastered it, he would take the skin of a graceful gentleman and wear it forever.
He wanted those courtesans who looked down on him to throw themselves at him and even waiving the brothel fee.
Wang Yuan's mouth opened slightly, and he was speechless for a long while.
"This reason...is good, very powerful.
Spiritual freeloader, it seems you were destined to encounter this calamity!
Moreover, the Wild Dog Taoist has once again used his bloody personal experience to tell us that before dying, one must use the last bit of strength to clear their diary and notes.
Otherwise, even if one is lucky enough to cling to a shred of life, what's the difference from being dead?"
However, when he noticed that to practice this Taoist Skill, one would not only have to continuously seek out specific groups and kill the innocent,
but also convert to a sect and constantly request the strengthening of the "Peach God Tao" from the "West Queen Holy Mother," he frowned deeply.
Upon reaching the final Precept Taboos section, he completely gave up the idea of cultivating this particular Taoist Skill.
Precept Taboos:
[One, for every Painting Spirit one hunts, one must help them fulfill their deepest obsession without their realizing that they have already died.
The moment the original owner of the skin becomes aware of their death, the effort is immediately wasted, and one must start over.
If violated, the dead person's face will gradually grow over the face of the Magician and will never come off. Over time, the spellcaster will twist into a monstrous figure of flesh and gore.
Note: "Killing" can be used instead of "dissolving one's obsession."
(Wild Dog's notes: My master once said that most of the Divine Power Skills in this world that require a price to pay can be substituted or mitigated by "killing." This is the cheap and easy Dharma path for cultivation.)]
After reading this, Wang Yuan nodded his head solemnly.
"This book's introduction is much more detailed than what the Wild Dog Taoist had said himself.
The most orthodox method of practicing this Taoist Skill is to resolve the obsession of the Painting Spirit, but the Wild Dog Taoist, for convenience, used 'killing' to substitute for the much more troublesome 'dissolving of obsession.'
Maybe there is indeed a way to circumvent the Precept Taboos, but doing so would also increase the risk of potential loss of control and mutation.
Regrettably, it seemed that the Wild Dog Taoist thought he could bear it.
Perhaps even before today, his state had already been off, and swallowing the "Wolf Heart Dog Lung Pill" might have only been the last straw.
When he saw that "killing" could replace most of the costs.
Even though Wang Yuan was well-prepared, he sincerely felt that the source of power for the cultivation system in this Divine Deceit World was probably rooted in chaos, bloodshed, and trickery.
"Secondly, the interval between switches using the Human Face Painting Skill must be greater than six two-hour periods, as frequent switching of masks can cause disarray in self-recognition;
The use of the mask must not exceed three days at a time."
"Thirdly, the base for refining the Painted Skin is a human-faced peach garment unique to the Peach God Path.
Thus, by referring to one's own Horoscope against the 'Nayin Five Elements Table,' only those with a Wood Destiny can practice this skill.
Pine Wood Life, Sangzhe Wood Life, Pine Wood Life, Willow Wood Life, Pomegranate Wood Life, Flat Ground Wood Life—out of these six Wood Destinies, 'Pine Wood Life' is the most compatible, though the others are also feasible.
If someone without a Wood Destiny practices it, at best, they'll shorten their lifespan; at worst, they won't survive training as the skill will drain their life force. "
Arranging one's Horoscope is not a difficult task; one can do it themselves with an old almanac. Wang Yuan had checked himself against the Nayin Five Elements Table long ago.
He is the "Buddha Fire" among the six Fire Destinies of Heavenly Fire, Stove Fire, Buddha Fire, Thunderclap Fire, Mountain Fire, and Mountain Fire below.
This precludes the possibility of practicing this particular Taoist Skill from the root.
Although he was already quite resistant to such heterodox Taoist Skills.
"It's just a pity that I've wasted all the acting skills that I have maxed out."
After realizing that Taoist Skills also have compatibility issues, Wang Yuan looked a bit nervously at the second and third skills.
"The Xiangshan Sect's seventy-two Divine Skills?"
The second and third skills are called: "Gathering Beasts Magic Skill" and "Transformation into Tiger Technique," neither of which come from the Peach God Tao that the Wild Dog Taoist followed.
They both originated from the same source, a heterodox side door called the "Xiangshan Sect," which had fallen into the hands of the Wild Dog Taoist.
In the sparse descriptions by the Wild Dog Taoist.
He implied that sects venerating Venerable Gods as the source of Taoist lineage were the orthodox way of cultivation, and side doors that rely solely on oneself without any backing from Venerable Gods are nothing but a bunch of bumpkins unfit for public display.
Wang Yuan didn't concern himself with the Wild Dog Taoist's disdain between the lines for side sects.
To him, the only good Taoist Skill was one he could practice. Moreover, a Taoist Skill that didn't point toward a particular Sect Venerable God was more to Wang Yuan's liking.
So far, all of his speculations had made him deeply wary of those Sect Venerable Gods.
Wang Yuan recognized at first glance that the second skill, "Gathering Beasts Magic Skill," was indeed the auxiliary Taoist Skill used by the Wild Dog Taoist to summon wild dogs earlier.
Effect: After mastering it, one can summon various wild animals, fierce birds, swimming fish, and flying insects at will.
As long as one stands in the mountains, they can call and dismiss these creatures at will, and their combat power far surpasses that of the early stage "Human Face Painting Skill."
Precept Taboo:
"First, in the Horoscope, one must have either 'Yin' or 'Chen'.
Using Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to represent the year, month, day, and hour of birth makes up eight characters, forming a Life Plate.
As long as one of these eight characters includes 'Yin' or 'Chen', which are 'Yin Tiger' or 'Chen Dragon,' they can practice the skill, borrowing the power of the tiger or dragon."
Wang Yuan instantly felt invigorated, glancing at the "Small Book of Life and Death" within his body, which clearly stated his innate Life Chart: White Tiger Holding Position!
There's a chance!
"Secondly, after casting, one must follow the nature of wild beasts, guiding without compelling.
One must not consume the wild animals and birds summoned by the skill, otherwise, they'll face backlash, their own beastly nature will surge, or they might even die at the claws or beaks of the creatures.
In other words, if one practices this skill with the thought of obtaining a free meal ticket, an endless supply of meat—is wishing for too much."
Seeing this, he couldn't help but feel speechless:
"An endless supply of meat? It seems the motives of the predecessors who created this Taoist Skill were somewhat thought-provoking.
And that 'Wolf Heart Dog Lung Pill' is probably refined from these creatures as raw materials. Though powerful, it caused the Wild Dog Taoist to break the precepts."
"Third, 'Gathering Beasts Magic Skill' corresponds to another technique among the 'Xiangshan Sect's seventy-two Divine Skills' called 'Tame Bird Skill.' One must practice both 'Gathering Beasts' and 'Tame Bird' concurrently, fusing them into 'Gathering Beast and Taming Bird Skill' to achieve Enlightenment.
Otherwise, if one can only gather but not tame, with the wild nature of beasts uncontrolled, a slip-up could unleash an animal wave, and one might end up being hunted to death by the summoned creatures…"
Wang Yuan: emm...
"The approach of the Wild Dog Taoist was to find some wild dogs loyal to humans and raise them from a young age, supplementing with the 'Human Face Beast Heart Pill' to compensate for the lack of the 'Tame Bird Skill.'
But in such a rush, where am I to find a group of wild dogs raised from puphood? There are plenty of wild dog corpses around here, though."
It was not until he nervously read through the introduction of the third Taoist Skill, "Transformation into Tiger Technique," that he finally breathed a sigh of relief, his face once again breaking into a smile:
"Finally, it wasn't just a vain pleasure!"