Chapter 66

The process of the Daoist sect taking on disciples is not a simple matter, especially when it comes to accepting true disciples. It requires burning incense and bathing, bowing and performing rituals, offering sacrifices to the ancestors, presenting tea and gifts, and receiving the master's teachings... Just the burning of incense and bathing alone takes three whole days, let alone the other procedures, making the entire process extremely complicated.

However, fortunately, it is now the Republic of China era, and times have changed. Moreover, the conditions do not permit such elaborate rituals, so many of the complex procedures have been simplified.

The next day, Jiang Chen simply bathed and, under the witness of Daoist Si Mu, Wen Cai, and Qiu Sheng, offered sacrifices to the ancestors and presented tea to his master.

Even with the rituals greatly simplified, the entire process still took until nearly dusk to complete.

"Chen, since you have now joined our Maoshan Sect, today I will, on behalf of our master, explain to you the lineage and rules of our Maoshan Sect." Taking the teacup from Jiang Chen, Uncle Nine took a light sip, then stood up and placed the teacup before the ancestral shrine. He then turned around, his eyes burning as he looked at Jiang Chen:

"Our Maoshan Sect has a long and illustrious history, originating from the Shangqing Lingbao Sect. It was first established during the Western Han Dynasty by the Three Mao Brothers. Later, it split into the Northern and Southern Maoshan Sects. The Northern Maoshan Sect, founded by Tao Hongjing of the Southern Liang Dynasty, is the original site. The Southern Maoshan Sect was established on Luofu Mountain by Ge Hong. By the Northern Song Dynasty, it had flourished, becoming one of the three major Daoist sects of talismans, known as the Three Mountains of Talismans, alongside Longhu Mountain and Hesao Mountain."

After recounting the glorious history, Uncle Nine then laid down the rules, his tone less proud but more serious: "All disciples of the Maoshan Sect must abide by the Maoshan rules: First, do not betray your master or ancestors; second, do not harm your fellow disciples; third, do not misuse Daoist magic to harm others. You must remember, disciples of the Maoshan Sect are always committed to vanquishing evil and upholding righteousness!"

Jiang Chen nodded in agreement, finding the rules of the Maoshan Sect quite acceptable. He solemnly replied, "I will certainly follow the teachings of my senior brother."

Although he was a grandmaster of martial arts, it seemed somewhat beneath him to become a disciple and learn, but Uncle Nine was reasonable and willing to take on disciples on behalf of the master, treating him with respect. Moreover, compared to martial arts, Daoist magic was clearly more mysterious and powerful. The fact that he could finally learn Daoist magic made it all worthwhile!

"Good, very good!" Seeing that Jiang Chen had indeed memorized the three rules, Uncle Nine smiled and said, "Now, I will teach you the basic Daoist magic of the Maoshan Sect!" As he spoke, he took out a yellowed book from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen took it and saw the cover, which bore four large traditional characters: "Shangqing Daojue!" Fortunately, he had gained abilities from others in the previous worlds and had studied for ten years, otherwise, he might not have recognized these characters.

Uncle Nine said, "Junior brother, I know you are skilled in martial arts, but practicing Daoism is very different from martial arts. It requires not only effort but also talent and opportunity. This Shangqing Daojue contains the techniques for breathing and cultivating qi, the foundation of all our Maoshan magic. Once you grasp the basics, you can continue to cultivate without end. Take it and study it diligently. Do not slack off. Once you have cultivated your magical power, I will teach you the magic."

Jiang Chen was overjoyed and quickly replied, "I will follow your orders, senior brother." After experiencing two cycles of the world, he finally had the opportunity to learn Daoist magic, which far surpassed the understanding of ordinary people. Although he was a bit disappointed that he only had the techniques and not the magic, he understood that Uncle Nine was doing this for his own good. After all, he had just joined the sect and had not yet cultivated any magical power. Even if he had the most exquisite magic, he would not be able to use it.

Then, under Uncle Nine's guidance, Jiang Chen met Daoist Si Mu and his disciples Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng again. Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng were just junior disciples, so it was fine, but as a senior disciple, Daoist Si Mu felt he should give a gift to his new junior brother. However, his Daoist skills were not high, and although he ran a business in corpse transportation, his income was not substantial, so he could not come up with an appropriate gift immediately.

"Right, how could I forget that thing!" Seeing Jiang Chen looking at him expectantly, Daoist Si Mu's mind flashed, and he suddenly smiled. He then took out a book from his pocket, different from the one Uncle Nine had given, a black silk-bound ancient book.

"Good junior brother, here, this is for you as a gift for our first meeting." Daoist Si Mu handed the black book to Jiang Chen with a hint of reluctance: "I tell you, this is a good thing!"

"Really?" Jiang Chen smiled and took it, seeing that the cover was inscribed with blood-red ancient characters: "Yuming Lianhun Jue!" The characters seemed to exude a terrifying and fierce aura, even making Jiang Chen, who had seen countless battles, frown.

Uncle Nine immediately said, "Why did you give him that thing?"

"Oh, it's just a magic technique, nothing special," Daoist Si Mu said nonchalantly. "Besides, although it's legendary, it's just a technique. As long as it's not misused, there's no problem."

"You say that so easily, but your junior brother has just joined the sect, and you give him such a sinister technique. What if something goes wrong? How old are you, and why are you still so careless? If you hadn't practiced recklessly, you wouldn't have lost most of your Daoist skills..." Although Uncle Nine scolded Daoist Si Mu harshly, he did not take back the Yuming Lianhun Jue. Instead, he solemnly instructed Jiang Chen, "Junior brother, since this is a gift from your senior brother Si Mu, you can keep it, but remember, do not practice the Yuming Lianhun Jue until you have cultivated your magical power!"

"Yes," Jiang Chen replied, then asked curiously, "Senior brother, is there something wrong with the Yuming Lianhun Jue?"

"Wrong? Of course not, and it's a very powerful technique," Uncle Nine smiled. "The Yuming Lianhun Jue was created by a talented ancestor of the Maoshan Sect hundreds of years ago. Normally, cultivating magical power is a slow and arduous process, but this technique allows the practitioner to refine demons and ghosts, converting them into their own magical power. The speed of accumulating magical power is more than ten times faster than for ordinary people. The ancestor who created this technique achieved immortality in just a hundred years. Is there a problem with this technique?"

"No problem, of course not!" Jiang Chen's face lit up. "So, if I practice this Yuming Lianhun Jue, can I also achieve immortality?"

"You will achieve immortality, but it might be to the Western Paradise," Uncle Nine said irritably. "Cultivating Daoism is difficult. Many people want to advance quickly. After the ancestor left this technique before his ascension, many later disciples of the Maoshan Sect could not resist practicing it. Unfortunately, few had the ability of that ancestor. Most who practiced it died prematurely. Even knowing the risks, who could resist the temptation of rapid advancement?"

At this point, he glanced at Daoist Si Mu, who, without waiting for him to speak, quickly said, "Senior brother, I have something to do, I'll leave first!"

Uncle Nine was taken aback and instinctively tried to persuade him to stay, "Why are you in such a hurry? Why not stay a few more days?"

"No, no, I'm not used to staying here, and my guests are even less used to it," Daoist Si Mu declined Uncle Nine's offer and immediately picked up his tools to leave with the corpses he had brought.

With no choice, Uncle Nine had to take Wen Cai, Qiu Sheng, and the new junior brother Jiang Chen to see him off at the gate of the temple, watching him disappear into the horizon at dusk.

"Sigh!" Only then did Uncle Nine sigh and say, "I'm sure you can guess. Junior brother Si Mu once could not resist the temptation and practiced the Yuming Lianhun Jue. He didn't achieve immortality but instead lost most of his magical power. So, junior brother, you must remember this lesson and not act rashly."

"This..." Hearing this, Jiang Chen understood that although the Yuming Lianhun Jue was powerful, it had significant risks. A slight mistake could result in death or severe injury. He swallowed hard and replied, "Senior brother, don't worry, I won't act recklessly."

"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. Go back and practice." Uncle Nine then glared at Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng, "Especially you two, who are used to being lazy. Don't let the new junior brother surpass you, or you'll be embarrassed!"

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End of the page.