Beidou wandered aimlessly until at last she found the cultivation art that spoke to her.
The first three layers of the Divine Elephant Suppresses Hell Force.
Just those first three layers were already a top-grade Yellow-rank art.
And according to rumor, the technique had a full twelve layers.
When all twelve were united, it became a genuine top-grade Heaven-rank art.
Compared to other strange, esoteric cultivation methods she couldn't quite understand, the Divine Elephant Force suited Beidou perfectly—simple and brutal.
It was a power-focused art taken to the extreme. Once mastered, the practitioner would wield the might of ancient divine elephants.
One punch could shatter the stars.
Naturally, Beidou couldn't have been more satisfied. This was exactly the kind of straightforward technique she loved.
As for the warning that cultivation would be extremely difficult…
Her aptitude might not match that of divine constitutions, but she was no weaker than most.
Beidou too possessed a supreme spiritual root.
Like the others, after receiving her reward, she didn't leave right away.
Instead, she pressed deeper into the Sutra Pavilion.
Meanwhile, at another corner, Tartaglia quietly slipped a blood-red jade slip into his robes.
His eyes shone brightly, his whole body trembling with visible excitement.
Even his raised hand shook uncontrollably.
"Ancestors above… truly, my ancestors bless me…"
With reverence, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing his breathing to steady.
For he had acquired the technique—
Blood-Reversing Demon Blade.
It was a pure, extreme demonic art, its offensive power unrivaled.
It fed a formless demon blade with the blood of all beings under heaven.
Once the blade fully manifested, it would cut down the world itself.
It was similar in nature to Lisa's Soul Burning Hellfire, both supreme killing arts with no other purpose than destruction.
Once cut by the blade, the victim's essence-blood would be instantly drained.
Of course, the exact effect depended on cultivation level.
At its beginning, it was but a low-grade Yellow-rank art. But as the demon blade grew, devouring more blood, it would ultimately evolve into a power on par with Heaven-rank techniques.
Most crucially—
whether one wished it or not, once chosen, to grow stronger meant one could never escape endless slaughter.
To others, this was a curse.
But to Tartaglia, it was the perfect gift.
This technique fulfilled every dream he had ever longed for.
The only caveat was that, being an extremely fearsome demonic art, he would need to register it with the Hall of Discipline.
And once unleashed, the demon blade only killed—it could not hold back.
It could never be used for friendly sparring.
Any time Tartaglia invoked the Blood-Reversing Demon Blade, he had to do so with a killing heart.
For now, it was unsuitable for duels against fellow disciples—else the Hall of Discipline would be on him immediately.
But against beasts? He could massacre them freely.
"Perfect!"
Tartaglia clenched his fist with exhilaration. Reporting to the Hall didn't matter to him.
Tidying his emotions, he happily continued exploring the Pavilion.
Though he had already found the art he wanted, there was no harm in browsing more.
Looking at the endless rows of techniques, he daydreamed about what it would be like to master them all.
Elsewhere, Hu Tao stood staring at an utterly pitch-black jade slip in her hands, her face twisted with hesitation.
To be fair, this slip perfectly matched her intuition—the cultivation art most suited to her.
But…
"Top-grade Yellow-rank Art: Ten Thousand Ghosts Codex.
"Signature art of the Ghost Cultivation Sect, Little Fengdu.
"Focuses on summoning, refining, and commanding ghosts. Little Fengdu was once the foremost heretical sect; the Codex was their forbidden secret.
"After the Hall of Discipline destroyed Little Fengdu, this was seized.
"The Codex can command all ghosts under heaven, refining ghostly qi into spirit.
"It aids cultivation, but can also manifest a ghost domain—within it, all but the bearer are trapped.
"When perfected, one commands three thousand ghost generals, eight hundred ghost kings, and ten ghost emperors—summoning a ghost army to blot out the sky, manifesting the Netherworld itself.
"In its heyday, the Little Fengdu Sect Master wielded the Codex to its peak, ruling over an entire realm of the dead. To destroy him, Mount Shu sacrificed eight elder law enforcers.
"Note: This is a heretical art. Practiced with righteousness, it can bring peace to the world. Practiced with evil, it wreaks calamity.
"Any later disciple cultivating it must hold an utterly sincere heart, else the Hall of Discipline will not rest until they are destroyed."
Hu Tao had to admit—this was the strongest and most fitting art she had seen in all her wandering.
The entire first floor might not contain anything as perfectly matched to her.
But the problem was…
This sounded even more sinister than Lisa's Soul Burning Hellfire.
And the methods of ghost-control… were something Hu Tao found difficult to accept.
It felt like betraying her ancestors.
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had, for generations, upheld the balance of yin and yang, guiding souls to rest.
Now she, Hu Tao, would turn to controlling them in battle?
If the ancestors looked on…
Suddenly, she slapped her own head.
She was cultivating immortality now—most likely she'd never meet the ancestors below anyway.
But still… her heart balked.
Reluctantly, she set down the jade slip and turned to leave—only for the Codex to dart back into her hand.
Startled, she grit her teeth and tossed it away again—yet once more, it flew back as though destined for her.
After several rounds, Hu Tao took a deep breath.
"You really won't leave me?"
The Codex pulsed with eerie black light, deep as a void, drawing in the gaze.
After a moment's silence, Hu Tao clenched her teeth.
"Fine! If you insist on following me, then you must be my fated art!
"So what if you're a top-tier ghost-controlling heresy? I'm both a disciple of the Hall of Discipline and the current master of Wangsheng.
"My whole life I've dealt with spirits, and I oversee the conduct of Mount Shu disciples. You think I can't control you?
"From this day on, you're my first cultivation art! Under my sincere heart, I'll drag you onto the righteous path!"
Having resolved herself, she accepted the Codex without hesitation.
Truth be told, it did violate her bottom line somewhat—but nowhere was it written the Codex had to be abused.
With it, she could better guide benevolent spirits to rest.
And malevolent spirits of demons and monsters—she could refine them into her ghost army.
Simply killing them was too merciful.
Better to enslave them forever, forcing them to fight for her—waste turned to use.
Surely even the former Parlor masters would approve, perhaps even her grandfather would praise her wisdom.
With that thought, Hu Tao's heart grew lighter.
She skipped along cheerfully, already daydreaming of herself as the Little Fengdu Sect Master reborn—
Commanding a realm of vengeful spirits, with three thousand ghost generals, eight hundred ghost kings, and ten ghost emperors.
When battle began, a ghost domain would descend, unleashing a tide of shrieking wraiths in a Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
Marching to war with an army of spectral underlings—now that was stylish!
"Hmph! Once I've got my Ten Ghost Emperors, I'll smack Zhongli left, deck Morax right—serves you for tricking me!
"Eating my food, using my stuff, and still hiding the secret of cultivation from me? Shameless!
"If not for being here at Mount Shu, I'd have jabbed you through with my Staff of Homa already!"
Puffing her cheeks, she waved her little fists in mock anger, then skipped off again through the Pavilion.
From his distant vantage, Jiang Yan witnessed everything.
He could only sigh deeply.
Well.
Now the last missing piece of Mount Shu had fallen into place.
Buddhist cultivator Diluc, demonic cultivators Lisa and Tartaglia, beast cultivator Yae Miko, ghost cultivator Hu Tao…
Add in Xingqiu and Chongyun with their awkward dual-path practices…
Mount Shu had truly hit the jackpot, recruiting this bizarre bunch.
The mighty Mount Shu Sword Sect would now be famous—not for its sword—but for its collection of eccentric, heterodox disciples.
The ancestors would probably die all over again if they saw.
Quickly, Jiang Yan glanced at Keqing and Lumine, refreshing his eyes.
At least those two still focused solely on sword cultivation.
One with the Sword Body, one with the Glazed Sword Heart.
The future reputation of the Sword Sect would rest on them.
By now, nearly all the inner sect disciples had chosen their arts. Only Furina and Clorinde were still searching.
That puzzled Jiang Yan.
Most disciples quickly felt resonance with their destined art. Few ventured this deep.
But Furina and Clorinde seemed intent on scouring the entire first floor.
Come to think of it, Jiang Yan himself had never seen its farthest depths.
Suddenly, he frowned, raising his spiritual sight higher.
That was when he noticed—
all the inner sect disciples were converging toward Furina's location.
Coincidence?
Or… something else?
He sharpened his focus on the Pavilion.
At that moment, a figure entered the grand hall outside.
Zhongli, robed in flowing black clouds, walked gracefully up to Jiang Yan.
"Sect Master, I have—"
Jiang Yan raised his hand, cutting him off.
"Wait. There's movement in the Pavilion."
"Movement?"
Zhongli instantly grew solemn. The Sutra Pavilion was one of Mount Shu's most critical grounds—no mistake could be allowed.
"Do you need me to go?" he asked at once.
Jiang Yan hesitated, then a hint of relief crossed his face.
"No… it's simply disciples meeting their fate."
"This time, Furina has stumbled upon something remarkable. But… is that technique truly suited to her?"
Speaking half to himself, he gestured for Zhongli to sit.
"Sit first. Whatever you wished to discuss, wait until they come out."
Zhongli didn't press, taking his seat calmly. He extended his spiritual sense toward the Pavilion, but with his limited realm he couldn't pierce its mysteries.
So he simply closed his eyes to meditate.
Inside the Pavilion—
Furina and the others had at last reached the place where their inner resonance burned strongest.
Hu Tao and the rest arrived as well, the new inner sect disciples gathering together.
They were about to greet each other when they noticed a strange sight ahead.
A lofty altar of white jade.
None had ever seen its like in the Pavilion.
Atop it hovered a single golden jade slip, radiating the aura of an emperor surveying all beneath heaven.
Around it, countless other jade slips circled like pilgrims in worship.
That golden slip—different from all others—was, without doubt, the strongest technique on the entire first floor.
At once, even disciples who had already chosen their arts felt their eyes burn with desire.
Hu Tao glanced at the Codex in her hands.
The unruly jade slip now seemed to bow in submission.
For the first time, Hu Tao felt… maybe the Ten Thousand Ghosts Codex wasn't quite as sweet.
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