Yujing City, Imperial Domain Dao.
Under drifting clouds late at night, the mountains roll and undulate, like a great dragon lying in the mortal world.
Halfway up the mountainside, a few houses shine with bright lights, villas cluster together, inside high-walled courtyards stand pavilions and towers, exuding an ancient charm.
This is the wealthy district of Yujing City. Only the rich or powerful can live here; ordinary people have never even heard of this place.
A group of white buildings, round at the base and narrow at the top, their summit protruding, resembling a chicken's head, surrounded on all sides by mountains, distant streams trickling…
This pattern is called the Mountain-and-Water Phoenix-Sacrifice Formation.
In ancient times, if a fox in deep mountains gained consciousness, it would seek places beside water and mountain, enter an ancient cave, and carve out such a formation, then seclude itself within to seek to become immortal.
In the tranquil front yard, the twin-tailed girl stormed in, heading straight for the inner hall.
At this moment, her expression was as ugly as could be, all traces of her usual self-satisfied swagger gone.
"He Huan..."
At that moment, a cool and indifferent voice sounded in the crisp night, making the twin-tailed girl halt in her steps.
She turned and saw a young man, dressed in loungewear, sitting in the pavilion with a thread-bound ancient book in his hands.
"He Fei!" He Huan arched her delicate brows, her gaze dodging slightly.
"You won't even call your brother..." He Fei put down the book in his hand, his tone bland.
"You and I don't have the same mother... Why should I call you brother?" He Huan sneered coldly.
"You got into a fight and got hurt. You lack skill, damaged the Immortal Family you worship; you'll suffer backlash for this."
He Fei did not even raise his head, but one sentence made He Huan's face change dramatically.
"Your Dao Practice has reached such a level?"
He Huan's eyes flickered. She had long heard the elders say that this wild child brought back from outside was extraordinarily gifted, but she hadn't expected him to be this terrifying—to see through her truth without a word or a sound.
"Refining longevity, refining longevity... Everyone seeks immortality. While the Daoist Sect stands supreme in this way, few know that our Out-of-the-Box Immortal Path also holds a method for longevity." He Fei looked up at the sky, with a trace of melancholy in his eyes.
In the eyes of the Daoist Sect, Out-of-the-Box is but a fringe path, scorned by all. Yet…
"If you don't cultivate properly, you may end up as nothing more than the Great Medicine for the Immortal Family you worship..." He Fei's tone shifted.
He Huan's pretty face visibly twitched.
Just one sentence, and the great secret of the Out-of-the-Box Immortal Family was revealed.
What is Out-of-the-Box? It is borrowing spirit monsters to cultivate. And the reverse is true—the spirit monsters also borrow humans for cultivation.
The Daoist Sect says: Humans are born with five hundred years more Dao Practice than spirit monsters. In other words, beasts must cultivate another five hundred years to achieve full human fruition.
Precisely because of this, Out-of-the-Box is both a transaction and a game of risks.
In the end, either humans use the Immortal Family as the Great Medicine for replenishment, their Primordial Spirit flawless, witnessing hope for longevity.
Or the Immortal Family extracts essence from humans, occupying the nest meant for another, and truly becomes…
Demon!
"In this era, manifest spirit monsters appear often, but true demons are rarely seen." He Fei sighed.
Demons, ghosts, spirits, monsters—they're in fact different things.
So-called ghosts: after a person dies, their Yang Qi dissipates, Primordial Spirit leaves the body, pure yin with no yang is born.
So-called spirit: creatures or plants that, after long absorption of celestial essence and earthly energy, come to possess awareness, often wielding abnormal skills—these are spirits.
So-called monsters: those which are abnormal among things. For example, old household objects can, after enough years, acquire awareness and become 'monsters'.
As for demons, they are most particular. The Kongtong Talisman Record says: "What men fabricate is demon."
That is, demon is a hybrid of spirit monsters and humans; their Primordial Spirits are strong, they seize human bodies, thus bypassing five hundred years of arduous cultivation.
The Legend of the White Snake says Bai Suzhen cultivated at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain for a thousand years to become human. Yet, precisely how she attained her human form is questionable.
After all, spirit monsters cannot directly shift to human bodies.
This is the tragedy of the Out-of-the-Box—borrowing the strength of spirit monsters eventually brings debt to pay. The miserable ones lose their human body and become true demons.
Hence, since ancient times, the Daoist Sect has always harbored a lethal stance against demons, for to become a demon is to be tainted with human lives.
"Our He Family has worshiped the Hu Immortal Family for generations, Out-of-the-Box cultivation spanning over a century. True prosperity, however, arrived twenty years ago, with the blessing of the Great Spirit Sect King." He Fei's tone was light.
"Why are you telling me all this?" He Huan's brows knit together.
She vaguely knew that the He Family's current status was thanks to a top master they met twenty years ago.
It's said this person had mysterious origins and once dominated seven provinces along the Southeast Coast, claiming invincibility.
But that had already been over twenty years ago.
"That person once said the He Family would have twenty years of great fortune, but after twenty years, tribulation follows." He Fei spoke gravely.
"You're too reckless; even using human lives for cultivation in private. These days are different. Continue, and you'll surely meet disaster."
"Tch, tch, tch..." He Huan spat, "Today was just a careless slip. Took a hidden loss, that's all."
"Don't you go cursing me."
"You'd best restrain yourself. If you run into a Daoist master, no one can save you." He Fei warned.
"Profound Sect masters seldom mingle with the Red Dust and dwell in seclusion atop mountains. How could I ever run into one?" He Huan said indifferently. "And anyway, the Techniques of the Out-of-the-Box Immortal Family are not necessarily inferior to the Daoist Sect's Alchemy Technique."
"You don't understand." He Fei shook his head, pointing to his own chest, "For normal people, Heart Fire on top, Kidney Water below. Cultivate for a lifetime, and fire burns dry, but Kidney Water never stirs..."
"If you reverse it—Heart Fire below, Kidney Water above—when the two shift, Kan and Li unite, Separation Fire boils Kidney Water, essence qi rises like smoke, spreading to flesh and bone, straight to the Celestial Spirit and Primordial Spirit."
"This is so-called, 'With the flow one remains mortal; against it, immortal.' All the Daoist Sect's top Alchemy Techniques follow this way."
He Huan's expression grew solemn. As Out-of-the-Box cultivators, though they too walked a path of cultivation, it was radically different from Daoist practice.
"With the flow, one is human; against, immortal... Such Inner Core Dharma Methods are Daoist secrets, Profound Sect orthodoxies, and highly formidable. They are natural nemeses of our kind. If you encounter them, flee at all costs." He Fei admonished again.
"Don't worry. To inherit such an Inner Core Technique, one must be a direct disciple deep in the mountains… Those old Daoists could never bear to let such treasures wander the Red Dust and be defiled by this turbid world."
He Huan paid it no mind, turned, and entered the house.
...
In the days that followed, Zhang Fan spent every day at home sending out résumés and searching for work.
College grads in June and July—it's the worst. He sent out fifty or sixty applications, none getting a response.
Other than that, he simply shut himself at home, arduously practicing the North and South Sect Origin Technique.
This Inner Core Technique was certainly special. After a week of training, Zhang Fan already felt much stronger, his senses sharper. Lying in bed, he could even hear the grandmothers gossiping at the estate gate.
But in the past few days, he dared not keep practicing. Each time by noon, his upper body turned cold as frost, and his lower body grew as hot as fire…
Zhang Fan knew that Daoist arts—especially advanced levels—must not be practiced blindly. One needed a master's guidance. Otherwise, at best you'd be crippled or become a vegetable; at worst, you'd lose your life…
So, faced with this, he immediately called Taoist Pojie, humbly seeking advice.
"You've begun to practice the North and South Sect Origin?"
On the other end came a startled voice.
"What's wrong? Can't I practice it?"
"N-no, nothing…"
After a brief silence, Taoist Pojie listened to Zhang Fan's question.
"You say you've been practicing only ten days?"
"Only ten days and already a problem… Taoist Pojie, do you practice the same Inner Core Technique as me? Is there a senior brother or sister at Zhenwu Mountain who does? I'd like to consult, ask for advice." Zhang Fan asked.
"No... no one..." Taoist Pojie was silent for a long time, then said, "You've only been cultivating a few days. This is normal. Young man, don't let your Consciousness get restless..."
"Your talent's not that high. Just take it slow. Don't let your Consciousness be perturbed."
"I understand." Zhang Fan breathed a sigh of relief. So it was only his technique that wasn't up to par. As long as he didn't practice wrong, it'd be fine. He repeatedly thanked Pojie before hanging up.
At that moment, atop Zhenwu Mountain, Pojie stood with his phone in hand, petrified, a strange expression filling his face.
"Brother Po Jie, why are you just standing here?"
At this moment, Xia Weisheng walked up from the distance. Seeing Po Jie like this, he couldn't help but ask.
"Tripod Furnace returned, Kan and Li united… He… he actually succeeded?" Taoist Pojie snapped back, shock overflowing on his face. He subconsciously looked at Xia Weisheng.
"What succeeded?" Xia Weisheng was completely in the dark.
"Unbelievable... This kid... He's so fucking unbelievable!" Taoist Pojie shook his head again and again.