Chapter 7

"Life begins in the womb, where qi is concealed, and qi rests when life is present in the womb..."

"Where the spirit goes, qi follows; where the spirit resides, qi abides. If one wishes to achieve longevity, the spirit and qi must be in harmony..."

Lu Bei flipped through the *Fetal Breathing and Qi Supplement Technique* while nodding thoughtfully. He understood the words, but had no idea what they meant, nor did he know how to cultivate them.

In conclusion, it was indeed a strange book.

After hitting a wall once, Lu Bei decisively chose to lie flat. Self-cultivation and enlightenment could go to hell; the personal panel was much more useful. Every time he opened his personal panel, he could see his 'outstanding' talent.

[You have encountered the *Fetal Breathing and Qi Supplement Technique*. Do you want to spend 80 skill points to learn it?]

[You have encountered the *Demon-Slaying Scripture*. Do you want to spend 80 skill points to learn it?]

"The *Demon-Slaying Scripture*?!"

Lu Bei widened his eyes, picked up the book, and examined it repeatedly, scrutinizing every line and word, but found no mention of demons.

Unbelievable!

"What *Demon-Slaying Scripture*? Where did it come from? Did I open it the wrong way, or is there a bug?" Lu Bei, not willing to give up, tried again and even randomly tore a few pages to check for hidden layers.

"Could it be..."

Lu Bei took out a bottle of Spirit Awakening Pills from his pocket, swallowed two to calm himself, and suddenly had an idea. Based on his years of watching martial arts dramas, the *Demon-Slaying Scripture* must be hidden in the book. To make it appear, it either needed to be soaked in water or burned.

The scene shifted, and Lu Bei looked at the book that had turned to ashes in the fire pit, silent and dejected.

He had underestimated the intensity of the fire.

"It's not a big problem. On the bright side, my master told me before he died not to reveal the *Fetal Breathing and Qi Supplement Technique* to anyone. Now that the book is gone, no one will ever know."

Lu Bei sighed, but in reality, it wasn't a big problem. The book was gone, but the information on his personal panel remained. Now he needed to decide which cultivation technique to learn.

The dilemma of choice paralysis was killing him. Two options: the *Fetal Breathing and Qi Supplement Technique* or the *Demon-Slaying Scripture*?

Judging by the names, both techniques were for Daoist cultivation. One focused on defense and healing, while the other focused on attack. Considering that he lacked everything, Lu Bei decided to trust his luck.

He had stood out among his colleagues, won his boss's favor, and received a raise and a doubled year-end bonus, all thanks to his good luck.

"Pointing soldiers, pointing generals, which one to learn... which... one."

He pointed to the *Fetal Breathing and Qi Supplement Technique* and immediately made up his mind. He spent 80 skill points on his personal panel to learn the *Demon-Slaying Scripture*.

It wasn't that the *Fetal Breathing and Qi Supplement Technique* was bad, nor that he doubted his luck, but it was too mediocre. In comparison, the *Demon-Slaying Scripture* sounded a bit cooler.

As expected, with his personal panel, Lu Bei's talent was astonishing. He instantly mastered the *Demon-Slaying Scripture*, and the cultivation technique interface refreshed, displaying a new line of information.

Cultivation Technique: *Demon-Slaying Scripture* Level 1 (0/5000)

"Just 1 level and already 5000 experience points. No wonder it's a strange book from the far west."

Lu Bei nodded in agreement. Out of respect for cultivation, he decided to meditate for five minutes.

If he remembered correctly, Mo Bu Xiu had said before he left that the *Fetal Breathing and Qi Supplement Technique* was a strange book he obtained in the far west of Kunlun, and the *Demon-Slaying Scripture* was hidden within it, also originating from the far west.

Speaking of the far west, it was necessary to mention the four extremities of the Nine Provinces world. When Lu Bei first started the game, he learned some geographical knowledge from the official website.

The Nine Provinces have three mountain ranges, and the world has four extremities.

The three mountain ranges of the Nine Provinces are Buzhou, Kunlun, and Mangyin, which run east-west across the continent. North of the Buzhou Mountains is the Great Wasteland, the legendary origin of the demon race. Further north is the frozen tundra of the far north, where even the physically strong demon cultivators dare not venture deep.

South of the Mangyin Mountains is the Ten Thousand Mile Dead Sea, heavily shrouded in yin energy and devoid of spiritual energy. It is said that after living beings die, they enter the far south, another world.

The Kunlun Mountains are located between the two major mountain ranges, neither as dangerous as the Buzhou Mountains nor as cold as the Mangyin Mountains. It is known as the origin of all immortal sects.

To the east of the Kunlun Mountains, there are immortal islands hidden in the vast ocean, details of which will be revealed in version 3.0. To the west is the far west, a place where demon cultivators gather, recognized as the origin of demon cultivation. Describing it as chaotic is an understatement of the local customs and public order.

The *Demon-Slaying Scripture* from the origin of demon cultivation sounded promising.

It's worth mentioning that Ningzhou, where Lu Bei was located, was slightly closer to the Buzhou Mountains, hence the presence of more demons. The safety of life and property was protected by the government, and anyone with a household registration could join a sect for cultivation or serve in the government.

The 'Zhou' in Wuzhou also borrowed the fortune of the Buzhou Mountains, hoping the country would stand as firm as the Buzhou Mountains for eternity.

As for Jiuzhu Mountain, it was not an extension of the Buzhou Mountains. At best, it was a wrinkle on the land thousands of miles away.

This relative, Jiuzhu Mountain couldn't claim.

It didn't deserve it!

Five minutes later.

Cultivation Technique: *Demon-Slaying Scripture* Level 1 (1/5000)

"Too slow. At this rate, it would take at least half a month of non-stop cultivation to reach the second level of the *Demon-Slaying Scripture*." Lu Bei frowned, silent. When he discovered he had an NPC panel, he had several questions.

Could he do quests and gain experience?

If not, when players entered the game, their levels would surpass his, making him a mere plaything. If he could, what was he then, a player with an NPC panel?

Finally, would he respawn if he died?

This was really important.

"Should I try?"

Trying would mean death, so Lu Bei quickly abandoned the suicidal thought. He got up, patted his buttocks, and walked toward the back yard.

In the forest, a red shadow flashed, and Lu Bei stopped. He knew it was a little fox spirit attracted by the Spirit Awakening Pills. He called out in the direction it had hidden: "The sect is under renovation for about two to three months. Don't come during this time. There will be a lot of energetic bad men. If they catch you, your fate will be worse than death."

"..."

The grass remained still, and the little fox spirit seemed to have run away.

"Remember that!"

Lu Bei called out again: "If you still want the Spirit Awakening Pills, come back after the sect is renovated. I'll leave a back door for you. Don't worry, I'm different from those bad men."

Different, but still bad!

...

"What? You said you have a cultivation technique now!"

That night, Bai Jin, who had returned from Dashaiguan, found Lu Bei. Upon learning that he had officially entered the path of cultivation, her face turned cold with anger.

"Was it Ding Lei who sold you the technique?"

Bai Jin's eyes glowed with a cold, murderous light.

Cultivation techniques were not irreplaceable. After all, they varied in quality and level. It was not uncommon for cultivators to switch to better techniques as they progressed.

It was a bit surreal, but that's how cultivation worked.

All cultivation techniques were created by the founders of sects, and each step forward required exploration. When these geniuses died prematurely, their techniques were left incomplete, and later generations either supplemented them or chose new ones.

Bai Jin was angry because Lu Bei, just starting his cultivation journey, needed a good technique to lay a solid foundation, which would directly affect his future achievements.

Would he continue to shine as a genius, or would he fade into obscurity?

The technique Ding Lei was selling...

It wasn't that Bai Jin looked down on Ding Lei, but she didn't take him seriously at all. Out of the hundred or so people in the Emei Sect, none were capable. If Lu Bei cultivated using his technique, his talent would be at least half-ruined.

She was very angry, wanting to kill Ding Lei...

No, killing would get her invited for tea by the Huangji Sect.

Still very angry, she wanted to break Ding Lei's arms to vent her anger.

"Senior Sister, calm down. It has nothing to do with Sect Leader Ding."

Lu Bei quickly spoke up, saving Ding Lei's wife and concubines in a crisis. He told Bai Jin: "After you left, I studied the twelve Daoist scriptures again, organized them in my mind, and realized the profound essence of the Daoist scriptures. Then I enlightened."

"Enlightened to what?" Bai Jin swallowed hard.

"Enlightened to a few cultivation techniques that are most suitable for me."

Lu Bei scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, but he couldn't help it; it was all due to his talent.