Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

TAP...

Sangx Rongrong flicked her short sword, and the brocade box landed steadily on the incense table before The Three Pristine Ones.

Ignoring the two corpses on the floor, she stared at the brocade box, her face flush with ecstasy.

Just then, her body suddenly froze. The ecstatic expression on her face stiffened, and her eyes filled with terror.

’Why can’t I control my body?’

”How dare you defile the property of The Three Pristine Ones?”

A calm, ancient voice echoed from the night sky, reverberating throughout the hall.

WHOOSH!

The torches, oil lamps, and candles hanging on the walls of the Sanqing Hall suddenly ignited, bathing the entire area in brilliant light.

CRACK... CREAK...

With a series of strange noises, the enormous head above, which served as the mechanism’s hub, turned on its own.

’What’s going on?’

Sweat beaded on Sangx Rongrong’s forehead.

She considered herself worldly and had even encountered masters who had opened their Divine Treasure, but she had never experienced anything like this.

It was as if an Invisible Power had lit the torches and turned the statue’s head.

’A ghost?’

Her first thought wasn’t that the Deities were revealing themselves, but that the place was haunted.

’Impossible!’

’I am a Second-Grade Martial Sect with abundant Qi Blood. Forget ghosts—even if one were here, it couldn’t withstand a surge of my Qi Blood.’

’Then...’

’A Divine Treasure Martial Saint!’

’I’d rather it be a ghost!’

As these thoughts raced through her mind, the Three Pure Ones Statue above suddenly lowered their heads and looked down at Sangx Rongrong.

BOOM!

Sangx Rongrong’s vision went black. A clap of thunder seemed to detonate in her Sea of Consciousness, and her awareness drifted away, unmoored.

”Miss?”

”Miss!”

After an unknown amount of time, Sangx Rongrong became aware of someone calling out to her. She groggily opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a Daoist with a transcendent air.

’The new Temple Master of Baiyun Temple who arrived today?’

”Miss.”

Zhu Ju held his Duster and bowed.

”You are truly sincere. You were unable to make your offering during the day, so you returned at night. It seems you had some unfinished business.”

”...” Sangx Rongrong was stunned and looked around.

There were no bodies beside her, not even the scent of blood. The Three Pure Ones Statue stood perfectly in the center of the hall, as if everything that had just happened was merely a nightmare.

But when her gaze fell upon the incense table, her expression changed instantly, and she clenched her fists.

’The brocade box!’

’It’s still here!’

”Is this the offering you brought, Miss?”

Zhu Ju also glanced at the incense table, casually picked up the brocade box, and his expression shifted slightly after seeing its contents.

”This is too valuable.”

”Two will be sufficient!”

Saying this, he took two gems from the box and handed the rest, along with the box itself, back to her.

”You truly are a person of great sincerity, Miss, willing to offer such precious items. Your wish will surely be granted.”

Sangx Rongrong dazedly took the brocade box, a look of utter confusion on her face. She didn’t come to her senses until she had walked out of Baiyun Temple.

’That Daoist...’

’There’s something strange about him!’

’Although my clothes aren’t exactly stealth wear, they’re not what an ordinary woman would wear. Besides, I showed up in the dead of night with a sword, yet that Daoist completely ignored it all. He’s either supremely confident or a fool.’

’And he’s certainly no fool.’

She looked down at the brocade box. Inside were three gems and an account book. Her expression immediately relaxed.

The gems didn’t matter.

The account book was the goal of her trip.

’As for this Daoist Temple...’

’Anyone who wants to come here in the future is welcome to it!’

...

After seeing his ’neighbor’ off, Zhu Ju returned to his quarters with a faint smile and produced a Martial Arts Secret Manual with a flick of his wrist.

Nine Mountains Skill

An unremarkable name, yet it pointed directly to the Divine Treasure Realm.

Besides the gems and the account book, the brocade box had also contained a Cultivation Technique, which he had naturally pocketed without a second thought.

”The former Temple Master of this Baiyun Temple was quite a character. He had not only an account book detailing a Prince’s transactions, but also a Divine Treasure Secret Manual.”

”However...”

Zhu Ju flipped through a few pages, shaking his head with a soft sigh.

”He probably stole this Secret Manual from somewhere, without understanding the hidden oral formulas within.”

All Cultivation Sects place immense value on their heritage, doing everything in their power to ensure their Cultivation Techniques are not leaked.

It is standard practice to include cryptic oral formulas in these Secret Manuals.

Take ”Five Hearts Facing Heaven,” for example.

Within Daoist Techniques, there are several interpretations of this phrase. Each is plausible, but they lead to vastly different results.

If one were to cultivate it recklessly, at best, they would gain nothing; at worst, they could become a Fallen Demon.

And that was the good outcome.

Some people even deliberately write plausible-sounding but incorrect Spells into Secret Manuals to mislead others.

The true Spells are only ever passed down orally.

To obtain the True Inheritance, one must either spend a great deal of time earning trust or spend a great deal of silver coins to buy the secrets.

This Nine Mountains Skill was full of such formulas, making it difficult to comprehend even with the Secret Manual in hand.

”But I don’t need to go through all that trouble.”

Zhu Ju waved his Duster lightly.

”With my various forms of Magic, it won’t be difficult to eavesdrop on others teaching their techniques. I refuse to believe a father would hold back secrets when teaching his own son.”

”However...”

”It seems I’ll have to recruit some Daoist Children. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll have more trouble like what happened today.”

Such a large Daoist Temple with only him in it was bound to attract unnecessary trouble.

「The next day.」

A notice about recruiting Daoist Children appeared at the entrance of Baiyun Temple.

*

*

*

”HYAH!”

”WHOA...”

Mong Yu stopped the carriage and lifted the curtain.

”Crown Prince, we’ve arrived.”

”So soon?” The Heir of Marquis Zhenyuan, Zhao’an, rubbed his eyes. He stepped down from the carriage and looked at the Daoist Temple ahead.

”Daoist Ziju’s residence isn’t far from ours. This means we can visit often.”

”Hm?”

”What’s going on here?”

”They’re recruiting Daoist Children,” Mong Yu said in a low voice, her gaze sweeping over the scene.

”In Daqi, Daoists and Monks are exempt from taxes and can avoid being conscripted as servants. It’s a top choice for commoners.”

”The Daoist Family doesn’t forbid marriage or meat, so they are more sought after than Monks, who must take vows.”

A large crowd of commoners had gathered before Baiyun Temple, divided into two non-interfering groups under the direction of a Broker.

The adults were watching.

A group of young children stepped forward one by one to demonstrate their skills.

Martial Arts, Magic, zither music—even somersaults were acceptable.

”I see,” Zhao’an nodded. He looked at the children at the temple gate, a flicker in his eyes.

”Is the Daoist testing them?”

”Indeed!” Mong Yu’s voice held a note of appreciation.

”He’s forbidden the elders from getting close, made the children demonstrate their own strengths, and provided food. This allows him to discern each Child’s Talent and disposition.”

”Crown Prince.”

”What do you think of these children?”

Her question carried a hint of a test.

”Hmm...” Zhao’an looked thoughtful. Despite his young age, he exuded a mature and steady air as he spoke slowly.

”Those few plump boys must come from better-off families than the others. But aside from two of them, the rest are just eating nonstop. If they can’t even control their gluttony, their future achievements will likely be limited.”

”The girl in red on the left has an arrogant expression. She must be spoiled at home. The moment someone says something she doesn’t like, her face changes. She doesn’t have the temperament to serve others.”

”The Child on the right gets excited when he sees others make mistakes. There’s a problem with his nature.”

”Those two look clueless. Their disposition is lacking.”

”...”

”If I were choosing, I would definitely pick the Child in blue clothes and the little girl in the purple dress. They know what they want more clearly than the others.”

”Correct!” Mong Yu praised.

”Very good!”

”The Crown Prince was born with a sharp mind and the ability to see into people’s hearts. This is even more valuable than Cultivation Talent.”

”It is a virtue to know oneself.”

She thought for a moment before continuing.

”The two you’ve chosen exemplify this. They are still young, yet they already possess the steadiness of adults.”

”Understanding oneself, knowing what one wants, and pursuing it seriously allows them to control their desires and walk the right path. As long as their Talent isn’t too poor and they have a bit of luck, they can achieve something.”

Many people live their whole lives without understanding who they are or what they want.

To be able to see through people at such a young age is undoubtedly a talent in itself.

”Aunt Mong.”

Zhao’an looked up and asked,

”Is your choice the same as mine?”

”No.” Mong Yu shook her head.

”I would choose those two.”

She pointed and said,

”A Child’s disposition has not yet matured; it can be adjusted through Acquired means. But their Innate bone structure is very difficult to change.”

”Besides...”

Mong Yu’s expression was complicated.

”Although I’m reluctant to admit it, sometimes having a more vicious nature makes it easier to get things done.”

One of the two she had chosen was lazy and shirked his duties—the type with a poor disposition.

”Oh!” Crown Prince Zhao’an nodded, only half-understanding.

He was naturally intelligent, but having grown up in the Marquis Mansion where everyone around him was obsequious, he found it difficult to understand the complexities of the human heart.

”Do you remember Nanny Cai?” Mong Yu asked after a moment’s thought.

”What do you think of her personality?”

”It’s very good.” Zhao’an nodded.

”She never slacks off, she’s very respectful to me, and she manages many things in an orderly fashion.”

Good personality, strong work ethic—this was undeniable. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have remained in the Marquis Mansion for so many years.

”Yes,” Mong Yu said.

”She is like that in front of you. But I’m telling you, Nanny Cai is ruthless. Sometimes, if people say a single bad word about her behind her back, they face retaliation. If she’s even slightly displeased, she’ll curse and beat those around her.”

”How does that make you feel?”

”Ah!” Zhao’an’s face turned pale.

”That can’t be true, can it?”

”That is the complexity of the human heart,” Mong Yu sighed.

”She gives her utmost loyalty to those who can benefit her, and she can also wantonly suppress everyone else.”

”This type of person is very competent. As long as you are strong enough, you can use them with confidence. But if the situation changes, they are also the most likely to backstab their master.”

”Therefore...”

”The Princess Consort never truly trusts her.”

Zhao’an was lost in thought.

These were the so-called ’arts of personnel management,’ something only a Royal Family would study.

CREAK...

As they spoke, the Daoist Temple’s main gate opened. Zhu Ju stepped out and bowed to the crowd.

”Thank you all for coming. However, Baiyun Temple only requires two Daoist Children. For those not chosen, this humble Daoist will provide travel expenses.”

”You!”

”And you!”

He pointed lightly.

”Come here.”

”Huh?” Crown Prince Zhao’an looked at Mong Yu with surprise and asked,

”Why did the Daoist choose them?”

In his view, the two children Zhu Ju had chosen had mediocre Talent, couldn’t even read, and looked completely clueless.

They had no special skills to speak of!

”Both of them are orphans with pure and kind hearts,” Mong Yu said after a moment, sounding somewhat uncertain.

”The Daoist probably took pity on them, and since they have good temperaments, he decided to take them in and look after them.”

As she spoke, she frowned in confusion.

An orphan with a kind heart—that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. In the secular world, such people were the easiest to bully.

Moreover, they were malnourished and poorly clothed, so their constitutions would naturally be extremely weak. Combined with their mediocre Talent, it wasn’t a cost-effective investment to train them.

”In that case, the Daoist must be a kind-hearted person,” Zhao’an said with a smile.

”No wonder he saved me.”

Mong Yu shook her head.

She didn’t know Zhu Ju well, but she didn’t believe he was a kind-hearted person. She suspected he had other motives for recruiting Daoist Children.

...

Mong Yu was clearly overthinking things.

Zhu Ju’s requirements for his Daoist Children were simple.

Honest, obedient, and preferably without messy personal connections. Everything else was a secondary factor.

The two children, being orphans, were a perfect fit.

”Since you are orphans and have no names, only nicknames, you will follow me as my children from now on.”

”You will be called Qingfeng, and you will be called Ming Yue.”

”Yes.” Qingfeng and Ming Yue knelt and kowtowed, their voices crisp as they replied,

”Thank you, Master, for granting us names.”

”Call me Temple Master!” Zhu Ju shook his head.

”Ah, never mind. ’Master’ is fine.”

”You two.”

Turning around, Zhu Ju gestured to Mong Yu and Zhao’an.

”Please, sit.”

”You two, serve our guests some tea.”

Qingfeng Mingyue scrambled to bring a teapot and cups, but they didn’t know how to brew tea. In the end, Mong Yu had to take over with a helpless sigh.

”My apologies for making a fool of myself in front of you.”

Zhu Ju began to speak.

”You’ve come at the perfect time. I was just about to ask you both—what nobles live in this area? This humble Daoist is new here and knows nothing. It wouldn’t do to accidentally offend someone important.”

To spy on Martial Arts, one naturally had to choose the right targets.

Even with Zhu Ju’s powerful Divine Soul Power, it was impossible for him to perceive everyone in the entire Qunxing Workshop.

If he knew which families had experts and what their legacies were, targeted eavesdropping would be much easier.

”Daoist, you are asking the blind for directions,” Mong Yu said, shaking her head.

”We also just arrived in the Divine Capital not long ago and know very little about our neighbors. If you want to gather information, you can go to the Broker Residence.”

”Or...”

”I’ve heard there’s a place in the Black Market that specializes in buying and selling information. The Daoist could ask there.”

”Oh!” Zhu Ju stroked his chin, lost in thought.

”The Black Market?”