Chapter 99: The Way of the Sage

Qin Mu walked over, looking exceptionally dashing. As the saying goes, "a person's appearance depends on their clothes, just as a Buddha's splendor depends on gold plating." This outfit fit him perfectly and was vastly more impressive than his previous beast-hide attire.

Master Qu smiled and said, "Young master, your craftsmanship is excellent. I'd even like to keep you at the cloth shop as a tailor."

Qin Mu chuckled, "This is my granny's skill. I'm just learning on the fly and applying it."

Master Qu smiled again, "Young master, although this fabric is impervious to swords and spears, it offers no defense against spiritual weapons like needles and threads. Please keep that in mind."

Qin Mu nodded, thanking him for his kind reminder.

Master Qu clapped his hands, summoned a young servant, and whispered a few instructions. The servant then retrieved a money bag and handed it to Qin Mu. Master Qu smiled, "Young master, this bag of money may not be much, but it's a token of my subordinate's appreciation."

Qin Mu took only a handful from the money bag, about a hundred coins, and smiled, "I've received your most prized treasure; I'm already quite content. Please keep the rest of the money."

Master Qu agreed, saying, "As the saying goes, 'rouge is given to beauties, and a precious sword to heroes.' These Dragon Tooth Scissors have been enshrined here and rarely used. Your tailoring skills are exceptional, young master, so why don't you keep them?"

Qin Mu quickly declined, and Master Qu had no choice but to drop the matter.

Feng Xiuyun escorted Qin Mu to the inn and then bade farewell, saying, "Young master, the dock gates will open tomorrow, and the caravan will leave Misui Pass. Please remember to stay with the caravan; these days have been quite turbulent."

Qin Mu expressed his gratitude.

As night fell, Fox Spirit lit the oil lamp. Qin Mu, under the candlelight, raised his palm. A thread from his glove extended like a spiritual snake, gradually thickening until he could clearly read the text of the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, which he then meticulously pondered.

The Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture was a classic capable of turning one into a god or a devil. When Qin Mu left home, Granny Si had given him this scripture but hadn't taught him how to cultivate it, instead instructing him to comprehend it on his own.

"Granny said that the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture was originally brought down by a sage from the heavens, who intended to use it to enlighten all beings. However, this cultivation method was too easy to deviate from the right path, which is why it was called the Heavenly Devil Scripture."

Qin Mu carefully examined the general principles of the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture. The opening lines of this devilish tome were truly thought-provoking.

"The way of the sages is no different from the daily lives of ordinary people. Anything that deviates from this is heresy! To act according to one's true nature, purely and spontaneously, that is the Way."

Qin Mu was startled. This meant that any philosophy or doctrine—whether divine, demonic, or Buddhist—that couldn't be applied to the daily lives of ordinary people was considered heresy!

Only what served the daily needs of the common people was the true path.

What was the true path? It was acting according to one's nature and allowing things to unfold naturally.

Starting with such fierce declarations, it was no wonder it was called a devilish scripture!

However, this statement also laid the foundation for the Heavenly Devil Cult. Its three hundred and sixty halls were each led by individuals from the three hundred and sixty common trades found in the mundane world, all serving the daily needs of ordinary people. The divine abilities used by these three hundred and sixty halls were also practical for daily life; for instance, the head of the Rain Hall would cast spells to bring rain, alleviating droughts for the populace.

These were the practical, everyday methods, while the ways of gods and Buddhas were the lofty, refined ones.

Qin Mu, on the other hand, felt that the general principles of the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture were not without merit, though they were indeed easily misinterpreted.

The Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture contained a vast array of cultivation methods, various extraordinary techniques, and diverse divine abilities—all incredibly imaginative and bizarre, leaving Qin Mu dazzled and wide-eyed.

However, as Qin Mu unraveled his glove into a single thread and read the scripture from beginning to end, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. The Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture astonishingly lacked a single cultivation method that could encompass all its techniques from start to finish!

Cultivation methods are divided into 'cultivation' (Gong) and 'techniques' (Fa). For instance, Qin Mu's Overlord Body Three Elixir Cultivation is the 'cultivation'—the internal power source. The 'techniques' are things like the Pig Slaughtering Knife Art, Heaven-Stealing Legwork, or the Eight Forms of Thunder Sound. 'Techniques' are the means by which the power of 'cultivation' is brought forth.

For a 'technique' to unleash its full potential, it requires a corresponding 'cultivation.'

For example, the Eight Forms of Thunder Sound require the Great Vehicle Scripture of Tathagata to fully exert their power.

Although the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture contained many 'cultivations' and 'techniques,' there wasn't a single 'cultivation' method that could govern all the 'techniques.' This made it completely unworthy of being called a devilish scripture capable of turning one into a god or a devil!

"The Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture is incomplete!"

Qin Mu immediately realized the crucial point: although the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture was comprehensive, it lacked a unifying cultivation method. There were simply too many cultivation techniques and divine abilities. While each was excellent and powerful, cultivating every single one would consume an enormous amount of energy, making it impossible to fully master the entire scripture.

Within the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, there were thousands of types of 'cultivations' and 'techniques.' Nearly every 'technique' corresponded to a specific 'cultivation,' and no single 'cultivation' was capable of integrating and controlling all the 'techniques'!

There was only one possible explanation for this situation: the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture was incomplete.

"But the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture couldn't possibly be incomplete," Qin Mu mused. "This cultivation method is treasured by the Heavenly Devil Cult as its foundational scripture. There must be a cultivation method that unifies all these techniques and divine abilities. Otherwise, the Heavenly Devil Cult wouldn't have painstakingly pursued Granny for forty years..."

A thought stirred in Qin Mu's mind. He reread the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture from beginning to end, but still found no clue. He then checked it from back to front, yet again, he discovered nothing.

"Where exactly is the secret to the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture? Perhaps even Granny hasn't discovered the main cultivation method of the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture."

Qin Mu fell into deep thought. Among the nine elders of Crippled Elder Village, Granny Si's cultivation realm was the lowest. It was likely that even she hadn't been able to unify the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture's all-encompassing cultivation methods.

She probably chose to cultivate only a few of the methods to avoid wasting her time and energy by trying to learn too many.

For one person to learn and master all thousands of 'cultivations' and 'techniques' within the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture in a single lifetime was practically an impossible feat.

"Could it be in that jade box sealed by the previous patriarchs?"

Qin Mu rummaged through his satchel and found the jade box. Granny Si had slipped this box in as well. Qin Mu attempted to open it, but the box was covered in many talismans. When Granny Si caused a ruckus in Xianglong City, she had mentioned that these talismans were the seals of the Heavenly Devil Cult's past patriarchs.

Qin Mu grasped one of the talismans and gently peeled it off. To his surprise, it came off with ease.

Qin Mu was stunned. He flipped the talisman over and saw a few words written on the back: "Fake, hehe."

"Granny really knows how to have fun..."

Qin Mu shook his head, peeled off the other talismans, and opened the box. It was empty.

"Without a unifying cultivation method, who could ever master the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture?"

He found himself perplexed. After a moment's consideration, he thought to himself, "My cultivation method is the Overlord Body Three Elixir Cultivation. I already have a 'cultivation,' so why bother searching for the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture's unifying method? Can't I just use the Overlord Body Three Elixir Cultivation to integrate everything?"

He acted on his thought immediately. Opening the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, he found a spell called the Rainwalking Art and quickly learned it.

He pushed open the window and looked at the darkness outside, hesitating for a moment before realizing, "This isn't the Great Ruins anymore. The darkness outside is ordinary darkness, and there are even pedestrians on the street. There's no need to be afraid."

Qin Mu's heart relaxed. He leaped out the window, reached for the eaves, and with a gentle push, flipped himself onto the inn's rooftop.

A gust of wind blew through the window frame, and the white fox, sitting on its cushion, flew out. Carried by the magical wind, the cushion floated to the rooftop and landed beside Qin Mu.

"What's that in the sky?" the fox suddenly yelped, pointing at the moon above, filled with both surprise and fear.

"That's the moon."

Qin Mu looked up, his gaze distant, and said, "It should be the moon, right? I've seen the moon during the day, and it looks somewhat similar to this one..."

He couldn't be sure. When he was little, Granny Si had pointed to a pale silver orb in the daytime sky and told him it was the moon, and that it would be very bright at night. However, Qin Mu had never seen the moon at night, not once in his life.

The nights in the Great Ruins were absolute darkness; nothing in the sky could be seen at all. Similarly, there were no stars at night in the Great Ruins.

The bright moon was radiant; it was the sixteenth day of the fifth month, and the moon was perfectly full.

Under the moonlight, Qin Mu activated the Rainwalking Art. Immediately, clouds steamed above the inn, followed by a gentle drizzle.

Qin Mu waved his hand, and all the raindrops instantly froze, individual rain lines suspended in the air as if time had stopped.

Fox Spirit marveled, jumping up to touch the rain lines, getting her fur wet. She quickly returned to the inn and used a spell to dry herself.

On the rooftop, Qin Mu changed his hand gestures, channeling his vital qi to activate the Rainwalking Art. As he manipulated the rain lines, each one emitted pleasant, flute-like sounds. With the melody, the raindrops transformed into incredibly sharp water blades, striking upwards into the air!

These water blades flew for dozens of yards before losing momentum and reverting back into water.

This was a gathering place for merchants, mostly businesspeople, so no one questioned him practicing spells here.

"Still not right; it's not smooth enough."

Qin Mu moved his feet, repeatedly manipulating the rain lines. Hundreds of blade-like weapons intersected and clashed within the rain, exuding potent killing intent. Fox Spirit floated out from the inn's window again, clapping her furry paws and cheering continuously!

The Rainwalking Art had its own specific cultivation method. When Qin Mu activated it using the Overlord Body Three Elixir Cultivation, he always felt unable to fully unleash its power.

His spell's power was already considerable, but this was due to his immensely strong cultivation base. If he used a more suitable method, the power of this spell would certainly be even greater!