Illustrated Canon of the Dragon's Harmonious Offspring.
This cultivation technique, with its somewhat strange name, though called a "cultivation technique" was actually a contemplative visualization diagram.
The technique itself was embedded within it. Once one's bloodline awakened, it would automatically manifest in the mind.
It was truly something that could only be comprehended, not conveyed in words.
Even if one were to recreate the exact same image stroke for stroke, it would be impossible to replicate the same spiritual resonance. In other words, only someone of the bloodline could learn it; outsiders could not.
The correct parsing of the title should be: "Xie Longzi, Jingbian Tu."
So-called "Jingbian Tu", were pictorial illustrations of Buddhist sutras or tales of the Buddha's life and teachings. Typically, they appeared on silk scrolls or temple grotto murals.
In other words, when one sees such a suffix, it usually implies that the cultivation technique has some connection with Buddhism.
And indeed, that was the case.
The content of this diagram was quite simple. It recorded a story, of a Buddha and a demon.
Only in this story, the Buddha was not the enemy of the demon. Instead, in a moment of misfortune, he was saved by it.
At that time, the Buddha had not yet attained enlightenment. Weary and exhausted from arduous cultivation, he had neglected food and rest due to being absorbed in seeking the Dao.
When passing by a cliffside pool, he fainted.
Upon waking, he discovered that it was a mermaid from the pool who had fed him her own flesh and blood to save his life.
The Buddha, having regained his vitality, wished to express his gratitude. But upon closer inspection, he was shocked.
The mermaid had been reduced to a skeleton. Her arms, cheeks, back, and even her tail had all been hollowed out. Only her belly remained round and full, she was pregnant, and close to giving birth.
The mermaid said that she had been stranded here for two hundred years after being swept ashore by storms.
During these two hundred years, travelers often fell into the pool by accident. She would cut her flesh and drain her blood to save them, helping them out of the water and asking them to one day return and carry her back to the sea.
But in two hundred years, not a single person came back.
By now, her strength was completely spent and her life nearly gone. She no longer hoped to survive herself but asked the Buddha to open her belly and return her child to the ocean.
The Buddha nodded in agreement and after her death, he indeed cut open her abdomen.
To his surprise, the child she carried was a black-scaled dragon.
The Dragon was born, saw that its mother had died, and cried out mournfully. It licked the tear at the corner of her eye, and was then returned to the sea by the Buddha.
From then on, it became the guardian deity of the mermaid clan.
As for this "Mermaid's Tear," it would, of course, be reborn into a new mermaid, and this lineage would always be the de facto high command of the merfolk race.
Logically, something with such symbolic meaning and exalted status as a mermaid's tear should have been kept under strict protection, and through secret methods, used to birth a new heir.
No one knew what had gone wrong this time, that such a thing had ended up on the black market of beast traders and was purchased by the two brothers of the Jiangning Chamber of Commerce.
And now, it had been passed on to Chen Kuang..
After reading through the whole thing, Chen Kuang couldn't help but start to doubt,
Could it be that... I really do have a connection with Buddhism? Am I fated from birth to become some kind of Buddhist heir?
Otherwise, how could I obtain a demonic inheritance that turns out to be... related to the Buddha?
"But, in truth, the Buddha here seems to just play a background role in the story. The main point is clearly to highlight the kindness of the dragon mother and the rightful status of the guardian deity."
Chen Kuang felt that this "Jingbian Tu" was more likely painted by this lineage of merfolk themselves to uphold their own authority.
And the cultivation technique embedded within it further confirmed his suspicion.
The so-called "Xie Longzi" was, in fact, a method of raising and taming a pseudo-dragon.
Even though the world of Cangyuan was one of high-level martial cultivation, true dragons, especially those formed from the spiritual essence of mountains and seas, capable of moving mountains and draining oceans, still held immensely high status.
Otherwise, how could Senior Brother Wen Si, the "Dragon King," have inspired such fear throughout the areas?
A true dragon was the spiritual embodiment of mountains and seas, shaped by heaven and earth's workings, born through the cycles of sun and moon and the changes of the world. It could not be created or destroyed at will.
A pseudo-dragon, however, required the nourishment of essence blood, the formation of karmic virtue, and, crucially, an appropriate vessel.
This mimicked the karmic merit and sacrifice of the dragon mother who saved lives for two hundred years.
In return, what one gained was a pseudo-dragon that would regard its caretaker as a parent.
Though called "pseudo," such a dragon would essentially be a descendant of the guardian deity of the merfolk. Its abilities were no less than a true dragon's.
Moreover, it could constantly absorb the essence of heaven and earth, and provide support and nourishment to its caretaker.
And the most critical part of this cultivation technique, was that it had to be cultivated using the blood essence of this mermaid lineage.
Otherwise, even following the exact same method would be useless.
Suddenly, Chen Kuang felt that this conjured-up body of his was getting rather "hot to handle."
No wonder...
No wonder the merfolk secluded themselves, often retreating to the most remote ocean trenches, rarely interacting with the human race.
Those who were captured were exceedingly few. Only a scattered handful of solitary merfolk had ever been hunted, and the mermaid's tears they left behind were the only proof of their existence.
If it became known that the mermaid clan had the ability to raise pseudo-dragons... wouldn't they be wiped out entirely?
"They say demons feed on humans, that their sins are too great to list, and that they are sworn enemies of the human race."
"But when have humans not fed on all things under heaven and earth? Are they not the enemy of all creation?"
Chen Kuang sighed a few times.
But he did not intend to pass judgment. He had never stood from the standpoint of humans, nor from that of demons or devils. He only ever stood from the standpoint of himself.
Whoever made things difficult for him, was his enemy. That was all there was to it.
Besides, in this matter, Chen Kuang was the beneficiary. He had forcibly seized the chance to be reborn through this mermaid's tear. It was virtually the same as forcibly taking possession.
What he didn't know was how such an important item as this mermaid's tear could have ended up lost in the world.
"This dragon-raising method... I can test it out soon. And for me, it will be even easier..."
Because Chen Kuang had a new passive ability, Root of Life and Death. All he had to do was kill or save people, and he could accumulate karmic power.
And karmic power came in two kinds: evil karma and good karma.
Killing earned evil karma. Saving earned good karma.
It sounded easy. It even made one think anyone could accumulate karmic power.
But in this world, karmic power was a heavy concept.
To gain enough evil karma through killing, one might have to kill ten thousand people and still not have enough.
The same was true for good karma.
So while Chen Kuang had sighed about the merfolk possibly being wiped out, the reality was that raising a pseudo-dragon wasn't something that could be done easily.
According to Chen Kuang's current understanding, Karmic Power was something used to attain the status of a Saint.
Therefore, it was highly likely that only upon reaching the Upper Third Grade could one begin to sense the existence of Karmic Power and make use of it.
In other words, a merfolk capable of raising a pseudo-dragon would, at minimum, have to be in the Profound Realm!
In this way, it could indeed explain why the merfolk, despite possessing such a powerful cultivation technique, had always remained secluded in remote corners.
One first had to be powerful in order to use this cultivation technique... which seemed to fall into a paradoxical loop.
But in reality, this wasn't a difficult problem to understand.
Judging from the two Divine Abilities that Chen Kuang had obtained, even if the merfolk couldn't raise dragons, they wouldn't be considered weak by any means.
One of them, "Parting the River into Land", could be understood as an advanced version of the idiom "drawing a blade to cut water." Judging from the name alone, it implied splitting rivers to reveal the land beneath.
But in fact, it was a Divine Ability that could split all things in two.
It bore some resemblance to sword techniques, yet it was even more profound than swordsmanship, because it approached the domain of spacetime.
Still, no matter how powerful the Divine Ability was, it ultimately depended on the strength of the user.
The other one, "Pearl-Wielding Serpent Transformation," could heal physical illnesses and injuries to the body. More remarkably, it could even heal wounds of the spirit and soul!
This was even more impressive than Chen Kuang's own physical constitution...
Previously, Chen Kuang had consumed an Elixir of Immortality, acquiring the passive ability "Flesh Reishi," which endowed his flesh and blood with the power to extend life and heal disease.
As a side note, this "Flesh Reishi" passive had been generated because he had consumed the Elixir of Immortality. It was not the Elixir's inherent effect, but a passive that had formed in him as a result.
Therefore, it only activated along with his consciousness. His original body no longer possessed this ability.
In short, raising a dragon was absolutely not a problem for Chen Kuang.
The only potential issue was the selection of a proper host for the pseudo-dragon.
"I'll take a couple days to pick one."
Chen Kuang took out the gold leaf pieces and examined them, rubbing his chin.
The reason he had kept these gold leaf coins entirely intact was because of a passive ability that had never yet been activated:
[Seal of Rising Fortune]: Your luck in wealth increases as your wealth accumulates. The richer you are, the richer you will become.
Since wealth begets wealth, then naturally, the higher the base amount, the better.
Only in this way could he gain a good initial speed, so that the snowball could roll bigger and faster!
"I wonder... by the time I choose a proper vessel, will I be able to double that money and return it to that little maid?"
Chen Kuang sighed, then found a piece of cloth, wrapped the gold leaf inside, and tucked it into the inner pocket of his clothes.
"Changing bodies has this one drawback. The storage pouch I finally got my hands on... is gone again."
Although he could now use Wujian Between to materialize items he had once owned, doing so for long durations in daily life consumed an enormous amount of Spiritual Energy and mental stamina.
Previously, he had been able to summon that snowfall because his "Invincible Before the Divine" passive was sustaining it.
But at this moment, if he tried the same again, it would probably drain his Spiritual Energy in an instant.
Upon thinking of the storage pouch, he naturally thought of Shen Xingzhu.
"Speaking of which, I was killed by the Martial Saint within the Liang Kingdom's borders, and Shen Xingzhu didn't even show any reaction... Could it be that she was secretly fanning the flames behind the scenes?"
Chen Kuang thought the possibility was quite high.
But on second thought, it was he who had first laid hands on Shen Meinan.
Moreover, Shen Xingzhu truly hadn't taken action against him...
What Chen Kuang was more puzzled about now was, he had "died." So how would Shen Xingzhu now deal with her Heart Demon?
He muttered to himself, "There's no way she'll just abandon her Dao Path, but that path is clearly already blocked off for her."
Chen Kuang shook his head, unable to figure it out.
He estimated the time, there were still about half an hour until the task that Lady Liu had assigned to him. It would be just enough time for a short cultivation session.
This body was already at the Innate Realm peak, so cultivation advancement wasn't urgent.
His actual cultivation was Tower Ascension Realm, Fourth Layer. After his battle with the Martial Saint, he had advanced by one layer, that was now the cultivation level of the "him" who existed within the Wujian Between.
As long as he desired, he could summon that Tower Ascension Fourth Layer cultivation state at will.
However, if his physical body's cultivation couldn't rise along with it, he would be stuck at that level. So, cultivation remained a necessity.
Not to mention, this demonic body was especially well-suited for the Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique.
Chen Kuang closed his eyes. A lotus-shaped seal shimmered on his forehead, and he smoothly entered into his meditative state.
After some time...
His eyes suddenly snapped open and he jumped down from the bed, his expression showing a trace of shock.
"No one ever said a person's 'Dao' can only have one path!"
...
Liu Qingcheng sat before her dressing table, gazing into the mirror.
Or rather, through the mirror, she looked at the distracted little maid standing behind her.
Liu Qingcheng teased her, "What's wrong? So moody. That man has an unclear background and questionable motives. I only asked him to do a couple days of chores for observation, is that really so unreasonable?"
Lian Mi replied, "I'm not moody at all..."
Liu Qingcheng reached up and pinched her cheek. "You call this not moody? Your face is drooping like an old granny."
Lian Mi retorted, "I'm just curious! I just wanted to see if he really knows how to play music. Why won't you let him try?"
Liu Qingcheng lazily said, "So what if he can? Like I said, this pavilion doesn't lack musicians. Why waste the effort?"
"In the end, he just wanted to stay. I granted him that wish, isn't that enough?"
Lian Mi pouted. "But he said he was even better..."
Liu Qingcheng chuckled faintly. "That's just him leading you by the nose."
"What does it matter if he's better? If something is already sufficient and not lacking, just because there's a better one, do I have to switch?"
"Our Xuni Pavilion already has the finest musicians in Zangfeng Prefecture. If someone even better came along, what difference would it make?"
She snorted. "That guy is just inventing a need where none exists, so he can 'sell' himself. Anyone who knows how to pull tricks like that isn't a simple person."
"At the very least, he's a smart one."
Lian Mi blinked, lost in thought. "That... actually makes sense."
Though, come to think of it, her lady seldom complimented anyone as being clever.
For this guy to earn such a remark from Liu Qingcheng on first meeting... he really must be something.
Just as Liu Qingcheng was about to say more, a knock came at the door. A woman's voice called from outside: "Qingcheng, are you awake yet?"
Liu Qingcheng replied, "I'm up, Mama."
The door pushed open, and in walked Madam Yu Xiangsi, the proprietress of Xuni Pavilion. She was a beautiful woman in her thirties, still retaining much of her charm.
After exchanging pleasantries with Liu Qingcheng, she got to the point:
"I heard you took the liberty of hiring a new errand boy today?"
Liu Qingcheng's expression didn't change. "Yes. The new hires lately have been clumsy and inefficient. I simply found someone myself to fill the gap."
Yu Xiangsi said, "I trust your judgment. But Zangfeng Prefecture has been rather unsettled lately. You must take extra care not to let any ill-intentioned people sneak in."
Liu Qingcheng frowned. "What do you mean by that, Mama?"
Yu Xiangsi lowered her voice. "I just received word, early this morning, a shipment of official silver being transported through Zangfeng Prefecture was stolen. It happened just outside Pingnan Slope. We mustn't stir up any trouble at a time like this."
Liu Qingcheng was startled. "Something like that happened?"
Yu Xiangsi nodded. "They say... it wasn't the work of ordinary rogues, it may have been the work of a demon!"
Chen Kuang had dutifully completed the chores assigned to him and quickly made himself familiar with the faces. He also gained a rough understanding of the overall structure of Zangfeng Prefecture.
In the Yang Kingdom, there were no counties, only provinces, unlike in the Liang Kingdom, not only that, but one province here was roughly equivalent to two or three counties of Liang.
Within Zangfeng Prefecture, the local government office held the most power, even surpassing sects and cultivation clans.
Because the position of chief constable in the prefectural office was occupied by a Sea-Cleaving Realm cultivator from the Department of Shennong.
Naturally... life for demons in Zangfeng Prefecture was quite difficult.
Chen Kuang returned to his room and stopped beside the bed.
Without a word, he glanced around. With Piercing Insight activated, many subtle differences from before became immediately visible to him:
Dust trails. Footprints. Bloodstains...
But most notably: beneath the bed.
Chen Kuang crouched down, raising an eyebrow. Beneath his shabby bed, someone had hastily set up a vision-obscuring formation.
After a moment's thought, he pressed two fingers together and made a light slicing gesture.
Parting the River into Land.
The formation was instantly split apart, thus, undone.
Chen Kuang reached out, pulled out a box from under the bed and pushed open the lid, within shone a radiant glow.
Inside were neatly stacked official silver ingots, complete with government stamps. Two broken government seals were also stuffed to the side.
These... were stolen government funds!
Chen Kuang was speechless.
The richer you are, the richer you get...
Looks like... it's already begun.