Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 941 - 797 Panlong Lake

Chapter 941: Chapter 797 Panlong Lake

God Path World.

"The Godhood Position can be activated and used in the Earth Immortal Realm, but the Divine Rank has its limits... According to deductions, it’s unlikely to breakthrough forcefully with a large amount of Power of Faith. I’m currently experimenting with other Secret Skills or special materials..."

The Heterodox Incarnation was sitting on the back of a donkey, with Mei Changkong leading the way in front.

Having been cast with a spell by Fang Xi, his face had long since lost its previous appearance and was unlikely to be recognized as a wanted criminal.

At this moment, Fang Xi’s aura was profound, but if he were to release the Turtle Breath Secret Skills, one would find that his Cultivation had already reached the Peak of Returning to Emptiness.

This, of course, was the merit of that Mirror Demon.

Although this return journey brought a new mission, it also came with no small gains.

’Now... Mr. Fang, the pedagogue of Bai Gan Village, has also departed. Gan Yu’s future is up to him to grasp...’

’With his age and talent... the state examination should pose no problem, and if he studies diligently, perhaps he could achieve the Jinshi rank in the future?’

Fang Xi thought to himself.

As for himself, he was planning to first teach Mei Changkong, this Little Mice, and experiment with the practice of Immortal Path Skills in this world.

Soon after, he would find a picturesque spot and begin to use the ’Mountain Pearl’ to officially delve into the secrets of the God Path.

Perhaps... the issue of advancing to a higher Divine Rank could be resolved this way?

’Promotion to Divine Rank among the native gods here comes from above...’

’Recreating it in the Earth Immortal Realm poses some difficulties... I certainly can’t just beat the Heavenly Emperor to death and then see if the divine position and jade seal are useful, right?’

’If I did that, the Heavenly Court would have sent Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to intervene long ago...’

’However, the title of Heavenly Emperor is interesting. Is it the son of the Heavenly Emperor, or the son of a Heavenly Rank? Heavenly Duke, Heavenly Marquis, Heavenly Count, Heavenly Emperor... No wonder one can be promoted upon returning to the Heavenly Court. But if it’s the latter, the value of that rank drops significantly.’

...

Zhu State.

This state is one of the Nine States, located in the southern region and near the border. It has mountains and water, and its borders are troubled by southern barbarians.

"Such scenic spots are indeed good places to start a business."

Mei Changkong, traveling and sightseeing along the way, couldn’t help but express his thoughts.

Since he was now a rebel against the court, he naturally needed to study the art of rebellion.

Zhu State seemed quite suitable; the terrain was good for defense; there were border disturbances; the court’s control was weak, favorable for early development...

However, he only lamented this in his mind.

Mei Changkong, for now, was still wholeheartedly pursuing the Immortal Path!

Thinking of the Qi Refining methods previously taught by Fang Xi made him even more eager:

’Following the Young Master’s Qi Refining techniques... through my day and night breathing practices, I’ve begun to vaguely sense the spiritual energy... although it’s still sparse, I can finally extract a sliver... and most importantly, without relying on that Divine Seal!’

’Continuing like this, might the Dao be within reach?’

Little did he know, Fang Xi, seeing Mei Changkong’s progress, was secretly criticizing in his mind: "This old man’s talent is really lacking..."

After checking and confirming Mei Changkong’s Spiritual Root, he taught him the most basic Five Elements Skills for Qi Refining.

Well, the method was still the widespread and common ’Mixed Origin Skills.’

Despite the fact that his talent wasn’t bad, possessing a high-grade Spiritual Root, he has always struggled to truly begin and draw Qi into his body.

In Fang Xi’s opinion, the Taoist Law in this world suppressed spiritual energy, or rather, the spiritual energy wasn’t active enough, making Cultivation extremely difficult.

Although Immortal Path Skills were not bound by the Taoist Laws and could create a loophole,

if one did not possess extraordinary talents or tremendous opportunities, advancing beyond Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment would be the limit.

To cultivate to the levels of Golden Core and even Nascent Soul and Transcendent God would be many times more difficult than in the Earth Immortal Realm.

"The spread of Immortal Path Skills... also encounters bottlenecks."

"However, as long as I gather more information, I should be able to reform the original Immortal Cultivation techniques to better suit this world..."

Fang Xi was quite confident about this.

Before long, a fork in the road appeared ahead, and there was a tea house by the road.

"Young Master?"

Mei Changkong bowed and asked, "Would you like to have tea?"

"Hmm, let’s rest for a bit."

Fang Xi readily agreed, letting Mei Changkong lead the donkey to stop in front of the tea house.

The owner of the tea house was a middle-aged man, around forty years old. His wife was firing up the stove, and his son and daughter-in-law were serving customers, making it look like a Family business.

Seeing Fang Xi, his eyes immediately brightened: "Would this guest like to try a bowl of ’Hundred Flowers Tea’?"

"Indeed, I am a bit hungry..."

Fang Xi glanced at the stove and merely smiled, "It’s rare that you also have meat soup here..."

"We brought it from nearby farms. Just this morning, the Zhang Family slaughtered a pig... this pig bone soup, accompanied by large flatbreads, is the best for satisfying hunger."

The server was smiling from ear to ear.

"Hmm, two bowls of tea, a serving of meat soup for my old servant, and ten flatbreads..."

Fang Xi could subsist on dew and air, but Mei Changkong could not.

Although Fang Xi could have whisked the old servant and donkey away in an instant with his Escape Light, it wouldn’t be in keeping with the purpose of their travels.

So they continued at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery.

By this time, even Mei Changkong, with his martial skills and magic, was beginning to feel worn out.

"All right!"

The server replied loudly, acknowledging the request, indicating that this young man was clearly a rich young master, or at least a small landowner; otherwise, how could he afford a mount and an old servant?

It was normal for people of higher status to look down on the coarse food of the lower classes.

In no time, the married woman brought up two large bowls of tea, each a coarse porcelain bowl filled to the brim with floating petals and seemingly barley and grains, boiled together into a full bowl.

She glanced at Fang Xi, her cheeks reddening slightly as she quickly lowered her gaze and retreated.

Shortly after, the server brought up meat soup and flatbread to the table.

The broth was pure white with a few green onion slices floating on top. The bones were large marrow bones with not much meat on them, but they still made the other patrons, who were dry-gnawing their flatbreads, salivate with envy.

"Young master... your humble servant will not stand on ceremony."

Mei Changkong lifted the bowl to his lips and drank heartily, then grabbed a piece of flatbread.

He was ravenously hungry by this time and voraciously bit into the bread. It was chewy and carried a pleasant sesame aroma. After eating three in quick succession, he could not help but praise, "Not bad at all!"

"Hehe!"

The innkeeper, counting money behind the counter, chuckled, "That flatbread was personally baked by my wife. Her culinary skills are the best within dozens of miles around..."

Mei Changkong alternated between the meat soup and flatbread, eating joyfully.

Fang Xi looked at the tea in front of him, feeling somewhat lacking in appetite.

He gestured to the server who came over promptly, "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I am a scholar from another state, traveling to this place... How much further is ’Panlong Lake’ from here?"

Fang Xi asked a redundant question.

"Panlong Lake is to the east, less than fifty miles away," the server replied respectfully.

Anyone who could travel for scholarly purposes was surely a learned man, perhaps even with academic honors, far beyond the comparison to mere commoners.

"I see, I see. Are there any local legends or significant events that have occurred near Panlong Lake recently? Feel free to speak your mind, this young master will reward you..."

Fang Xi casually swept his hand and several silver coins clattered onto the table.

Upon seeing this, the server’s eyes lit up and he began to speak incessantly, "Panlong Lake spans five hundred miles. It’s said that a Dragon Lord presides over it, and the nearby Dragon Lord Temple is very popular with worshippers... Legend has it that the Dragon Lord enjoys wine, and someone once brewed a wine that pleased the Dragon Lord, who then took them into the Dragon Palace to become a son-in-law..."

"Haha, how interesting indeed."

Fang Xi listened for a while more to stories of mountain spirits taking form and foxes harming people before inquiring about the local powers and landowners.

"Close to Panlong Lake, there are a few families you should not provoke. They are all real magnates, including retired high officials," said the server.

"Retired?"

Fang Xi heard this and couldn’t help but feel both amusement and frustration.

With the benefits and privileges that come with serving in the Taoist Court, if possible, officials would certainly want to die in office, only wishing for promotion, rather than resignation, even if they were demoted.

This so-called retirement was likely just a euphemism for having lost a power struggle and been stripped of their Godhood Position.

Even so, although the divine position within them was gone, their name in the Taoist register still remained. At the very least, they could receive offerings at their family shrine to maintain some magic power.

If their rank in the register was high enough, even a local magistrate might have to show them some respect.

And perhaps after their death, if the court granted them grace or a posthumous title... they might still hope to obtain a Godhood Position.

But compared to the great positions they previously held, it would be far less prestigious.

"May I ask which official that is?"

Fang Xi then asked.

"It’s Elder Xu of the East Sang Xu Family. The Elder Xu was a distinguished Jinshi at the Imperial Examination and rose to the position of Vice Minister of Rites in the Taoist Court..."

The server spoke with admiration, "Now retired and returned to his hometown, the Xu Family prospered as a result. It’s said they own thousands of acres of land, employing numerous strong servants and slaves. Just the annual disputes over land and water rights lead to a lot of trouble, and even when people are killed, the local government hardly dares to intervene..."

"I see."

Fang Xi nodded and, seeing that Mei Changkong had finished eating, he left some silver coins and stood up to leave.

Just then, a group of men at a nearby table also hurriedly finished their meal and followed them.

Seeing this, the server’s face instantly revealed a look of panic, "This is... Father, should we?"

But the innkeeper shook his head, "That young scholar is revealing himself as an outsider... Such a person is of little value away from their homeland. Fortunately, he seems to have some scholarly honor to travel the world. And that old servant, the way he moves and sits, he seems to have some martial skills. There won’t be any trouble."

With many years of experience, the innkeeper had developed a keen eye for such matters.

He could tell at a glance what was happening.

...

"Young master, everything has been taken care of," Mei Changkong reported respectfully just moments later, a trace of blood lingering on him as he bowed before Fang Xi.

"Hmm, life is indeed full of hardships..." Fang Xi sighed.

Even with the God Path monitoring the world, akin to the sun, there are shadows beneath the bright sun.

As long as human nature is inherently selfish, these things are inevitable.

He lamented casually and then dismissed it from his mind, "Let’s continue on our way... There are many mountains near Panlong Lake. Hopefully, we’ll find one that’s suitable..."

To form an Incarnation using the ’Mountain Pearl’, one needs to walk the God Path.

Mountains and rivers not occupied by mountain gods or water gods are thus of great importance.

Of course, this is unlikely, but the prospect of some unnamed barren mountains and minor streams is still worth looking forward to...