Chapter 168: Entering the Hallway The First Step

Hu Min was stunned; he had never heard such an unusual request. Just then, another knock sounded from outside. It was a messenger from Xiao Maoliang, a captain in the Daifeng Army, informing Hu Min that the squad had been temporarily assigned a patrol mission in the city suburbs and needed to depart immediately.

The Emperor's Nectar had fallen all night. Some creatures on the Chiba Plateau, having been enlightened by it, were inevitably restless. The Daifeng Army needed to patrol outside the city to prevent newly formed monsters from threatening fields and farms.

Military orders were absolute, so Hu Min didn't think much of it. He casually took out some powdered medicine, which was bright yellow and looked much better than the one He Lingchuan had refined himself. He Lingchuan took a pea-sized piece. "Thank you," he said.

He Lingchuan poured a few drops of Emperor's Nectar in exchange. Hu Min immediately said, "I'm leaving now, make yourself at home." With that, he quickly changed and left.

He Lingchuan waited for thirty minutes after taking the medicine, but his body showed no reaction, as if he had just consumed air.

The experiment failed; long-lasting enhancement medicines were useless to him.

Indeed, such good fortune didn't exist in the world. Even though he had expected it, he still sighed with regret. He then left Hu Min's house and headed straight for the Merits Department.

Since he was certain the Emperor's Nectar had no effect on him, he decided to exchange it for military merits quickly.

Officer Liu, who was on duty at the Pengcheng Office today, was as busy as ever. Hearing that He Lingchuan wanted to turn in Emperor's Nectar, he simply gestured with his hand and said, "Bring it."

Although Emperor's Nectar was valuable, in a large city like Panlong, there were always people who, for various reasons, wouldn't consume it themselves.

Officer Liu used a needle to extract a small amount of the nectar from the wine vessel. He examined it and sniffed it, then told He Lingchuan, "It has impurities, lower-middle grade. We'll take it."

According to his calculation, the merits from this jar of Emperor's Nectar surpassed those He Lingchuan earned the last time by covering the retreat and saving people in the XiQing River Valley. After all, rescue missions for the Daifeng Army were common, while Emperor's Nectar was a rare find.

The reward this time was similar to the last, with the addition of several wound medicines, both for internal and external use.

He Lingchuan smiled. "If everyone turned it in, couldn't everyone get another wooden house in exchange?"

Officer Liu replied matter-of-factly, "Not many people would choose to turn in something like this."

He Lingchuan looked at him and let out a long "Oh."

Right, besides personal use and turning it in, it could also be bought and sold among the populace.

Merits needed to be accumulated bit by bit; if you didn't have enough, you couldn't exchange them for what you wanted.

"My house is big enough. Can I exchange it for a suitable weapon instead?" At least in the dream, He Lingchuan's requirements for living quarters were not high. In the past, when playing games, others spent money on fashion items, but he was stingy in that regard.

"What kind?"

"A saber." He had entered Panlong City empty-handed and desperately needed a weapon for a sense of security.

Officer Liu went to the back room and soon returned with a ring-pommel saber and a whetstone.

The blade was chillingly sharp, with two small nicks on the back, and the handle was somewhat old, missing a ring at its end.

"The owner of this saber sacrificed his life last year at Mount Baimo," he said with a solemn expression. "It's a good saber; I hope you use it well."

He Lingchuan held it, spun it in a flourish, and found it substantial and easy to handle.

"Thank you! I also want to use military merits to exchange for some supernatural abilities. Oh, I heard that basic cultivation methods are free?"

Officer Liu sat back down and waved his hand towards the outside. "Go out and find the Enhancement Bureau across the way."

The Enhancement Bureau was by the river.

Strictly speaking, half of the building was built over the river. As soon as He Lingchuan stepped inside, he saw a water pavilion where two old men sat, one in black and one in white, yet their faces were identical.

It was 7:30 AM, still early, and due to the sudden appearance of Emperor's Nectar last night, the Enhancement Bureau was deserted. He Lingchuan, with his keen hearing, overheard the two old men muttering about news from inside and outside the city: someone found a large blob of Emperor's Nectar paste, leading to neighborhood brawls; abnormal movements of demonic beasts near the mines resulted in injured miners, and so on.

He Lingchuan stepped forward, bowed, and stated he needed a basic cultivation method.

The old man looked him up and down. "You're not from Panlong City, are you?"

"I'm from Tusu City, but I've settled here."

"No wonder," the old man said. "Then you'll need Mr. Zhang to conduct a test first." With that, he shook a bell suspended over the water.

The bell was very close to the water, only about two feet away, and its crisp sound echoed throughout the water pavilion.

"Go down and stand there," he instructed. There was a ramp leading directly into the water inside the pavilion. Half of the river surface was covered by lush green lotus leaves, with budding flowers showing only a hint of pink at their tips, attracting several motionless dragonflies.

As soon as He Lingchuan stood by the water's edge, the dragonflies swiftly flew away.

The river water sloshed, and several snake-like or whip-like objects suddenly emerged from beneath the surface, coiling towards him.

He Lingchuan was startled and instinctively took a big leap backward.

"Why are you running? Go stand still!" the old man said impatiently. "Mr. Zhang won't harm you, will he?"

Only then did He Lingchuan get a clear look: these were long, thick tentacles, their bases thicker than his waist, yet their tips were sharp and thin, covered with suction cups.

Behind the tentacles, a large, oval-shaped head surfaced. It wasn't smooth, and it had clusters of sharp ridges flaring backward.

Its eyes were black and round, larger than grapefruits.

"Mr. Zha...!" A massive tentacled monster! He realized then that the old man had been referring to "Mr. Zhang" (章, pronounced Zhāng, which also denotes 'octopus' in a specific context) rather than a common surname "Zhang."

He Lingchuan heard a voice say, "Come here, let me feel you."

The human fear of tentacles was deeply ingrained. But he also knew he was powerless to resist, so he could only steel himself and stand by the water's edge.

Several tentacles reached out and draped over him, their mollusk-specific cold and sticky texture making He Lingchuan shiver. They were more nimble than human hands, suctioning onto several key acupoints on his body one by one.

He Lingchuan felt a cold force injecting into him, and the true qi in his dantian reacted, rapidly circulating throughout his entire body.

"Your foundation is quite solid, and impurities have been removed; it's decent," Mr. Zhang evaluated, as he meticulously examined He Lingchuan. "Hmm—your sinews and bones are firm."

"Ah—your qi and blood are abundant and vigorous, and your essence is full. Very good, very good."

Its tone was peculiar, enough to make even the usually unflappable He Lingchuan feel a bit awkward, but the two old men paid no mind. "Oh, that means his essence hasn't been leaked."

Mr. Zhang pressed hard on various parts of He Lingchuan's body again before slowly retracting its tentacles.

The two old men walked over, and the three bald heads huddled together, muttering.

He Lingchuan had heard Hu Min say that the Enhancement Bureau would provide cultivation methods tailored to practitioners. But he never expected the tester to be an aquatic demon.

Right, Panlong City wasn't only inhabited by humans.

But an octopus living in freshwater, on a plateau no less—the world truly held endless wonders.

However, this creature's eight tentacles could simultaneously cover almost all meridians and acupoints on a person's body, gaining a comprehensive understanding of true force circulation—something humans truly couldn't compare to.

The only aftereffect was dozens of red marks left by the suction cups.

Soon after, the discussion ended, and the old men announced in unison, "We three have unanimously decided on the 'ZiWu Cultivation Art'."

Panlong City had five public cultivation methods, and they had chosen the ZiWu Cultivation Art for He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan lightly coughed. "May I borrow the other four methods to look at?"

The reply from across was again in unison: "No."

"With your limited knowledge, how would you know which one is most suitable for you?"

"Mixing cultivation methods is harmful and useless."

"If it's not meant for you, it's best not to even touch it."

"We have selected cultivation methods for over nine thousand people, without a single mistake."

The two old men spoke one after another, their tone, speed, and pitch identical, sounding as if a single person were speaking if one closed their eyes to listen.

Mr. Zhang had already slid back into the river and disappeared. One of the old men retrieved a jade slip from a wooden cabinet and handed it to He Lingchuan. "The cultivation art is here. Just probe it with your spiritual sense."

He Lingchuan couldn't help but play with it for a moment. He had once entered an immortal's cave dwelling at the bottom of the Immortal Spirit Lake and found several jade slips there, but all of them were blank, containing no information.

He hadn't expected Panlong City to also use jade slips.

He probed it with his spiritual sense, and indeed, it contained a complete cultivation method. Although the script was vastly different from modern writing, he could understand every single character.

Even more miraculously, after he let go of the jade slip, the cultivation method remained etched deep within his spiritual sea, vivid and unforgettable, word for word!

There was no need to memorize it; this replicated memory wouldn't err.

He Lingchuan secretly marveled, "Could this be an invention of ancient immortals?"

The old man explained some precautions to him, then extended his hand and said, "Alright, give it back to me now; others need to use it too."

He Lingchuan quickly said, "Besides the basic cultivation method, I also want to exchange military merits for supernatural abilities."

"Supernatural abilities are divided into two categories: 'Arts' and 'Martial'," the white-robed old man said, pointing to himself. "I am Mr. Ying, in charge of the 'Martial' category."

He then pointed to the black-robed old man. "He is Mr. Man, in charge of the 'Arts' category."

"There is no good or bad in supernatural abilities, only suitability," Mr. Ying said. "You practice the ZiWu Cultivation Art, which is suitable for entering the path through martial arts. After integrating it thoroughly later, it won't be too late to learn some magical arts."

Mr. Man nodded and added, "As long as you live longer."

Then Mr. Ying presented He Lingchuan with a long list of books, which dazzled He Lingchuan, making him think both this and that looked good and practical. Only then did Mr. Ying say, "Your accumulated military merits are only enough to exchange for two supernatural abilities."

He Lingchuan smiled deferentially. "Please advise me, Mr. Ying."

"The fundamentals of combat are simply two: being able to fight and being able to run," Mr. Ying mused for a moment. "I'll choose a movement technique for you, called 'Swallow's Return'. If you can practice it to be as nimble as a swallow, this art will be close to mastery."

Mr. Man also said, "Basic arts emphasize solidity; only by building a strong foundation can one be invincible. Don't dismiss it as simple; General Hong is also highly proficient in the 'Swallow's Return' technique."

He Lingchuan's eyes lit up. "General Hong also practices this?"

"Of course. He personally copied and recorded it onto the jade slip."

"I'll take it!"

However, He Lingchuan reconsidered, pointed at the list of cultivation methods, and asked, "So, how many supernatural abilities did General Hong record in total?"

"Eighteen," Mr. Man answered frankly. "You can't afford the rest."

He Lingchuan became even more fascinated. "Then, Mr. Ying, please help me find a combat-oriented supernatural ability."

Mr. Ying looked at the long saber at He Lingchuan's waist, then turned and consulted with Mr. Man for a few moments, before saying, "Then choose 'Wave Slash'."

The old man stood up, went to the inner room, searched for a long time, and finally came out with two jade slips.

He Lingchuan took them, calmly focused his mind to remember them well, and then respectfully returned them. Mr. Man, standing by, said, "Once you've mastered these two, come back to me. Magical arts combined with martial arts can achieve extraordinary feats."

"Oh, by the way, Master Zhong requests that the Immortal Inquiring Hall regularly invite masters to teach classes; listening often yields rewards," Mr. Ying added. "While supernatural abilities and magical arts are good, they are merely external forces. The key to success often lies in two aspects of the mind."

He Lingchuan became solemn. "Please enlighten me, sirs."

"Cultivation method and state of mind," Mr. Ying said. "A cultivation method requires diligent study and hard practice; a state of mind requires experiencing life and death."

Having been through several battles, big and small, He Lingchuan deeply understood these words. He thanked them respectfully and turned to leave the Enhancement Bureau.

As he crossed the threshold of the Merits Department, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

The verse left by the old turtle demon instructed him to hide his sharpness and act clumsy in reality. So, his first step into the true path would begin in his dream!