Black mist billowed from Li Qiuxia's eyes for at least the time it takes to finish a cup of tea before finally subsiding. Accompanying the mist were tears of blood, leaving two crimson streaks down his face that added a touch of horror and ferocity to his originally doll-like, adorable features.
Once the black mist dissipated, a golden light lingered over Li Qiuxia for a moment, flickered toward Uncle Jiu, and then surged back into the clay statue.
"Your disciple understands, Patriarch!" Uncle Jiu bowed respectfully to the statue. He turned toward Li Qiuxia, but before he could speak, the boy let out a scream like a stuck pig.
"Ow, ow, ow! It hurts! It hurts so much! Is this what death by a thousand cuts feels like? I haven't done anything wicked, so why would the Patriarch treat me like this? This is just my luck!"
"Stop your howling," Uncle Jiu said, his face darkening as he stared at Li Qiuxia. "You brat, you don't know how lucky you are. The Patriarch just performed a baptism on you. Not only did he perform Marrow Cleansing, but he also stripped the curse from your body. Any other cultivator would be walking on air if they encountered such a blessing, yet here you are complaining about the Patriarch."
Li Qiuxia stopped his wailing immediately, his expression shifting instantly. "It's that good? Then I'd better give the Patriarch a proper kowtow right now." He dropped to his knees. "Patriarch above, this little one was ignorant of your care. Forgive my lack of knowledge, please do not take offense."
After finishing his kowtows, a thought suddenly struck him. "A curse? Uncle Jiu, you said there was a curse on me? Whether in my past life or this one, I've never provoked anyone. How could I have a curse?"
Uncle Jiu shot him a sidelong glance. "The curse wasn't something you caught by provoking others; it was something you were born with."
"Born with it? Could it be the curse of the Sharingan? That's actually possible," Li Qiuxia muttered. He then looked up at Uncle Jiu expectantly. "Uncle Jiu, since the Patriarch has verified my identity, can I join your sect and learn the Dao from you?"
Uncle Jiu replied, "The Patriarch has indeed verified your identity and granted you a baptism. Your current divine body is very suitable for cultivation. Are you certain you want to join my lineage? My Maoshan Sect has many high-rank priests; I could send you to the main mountain to study under them. You might even end up as my junior brother."
Li Qiuxia shook his head like a rattle. "No, I don't want that! I only want you as my master. Uncle Jiu, you don't know this, but in my original world, you are known as the Sacred Teacher of Ten Thousand Realms. Almost every transmigrator who ends up in a Zombie World wants to be your disciple. You've raised countless transmigrator pupils!"
"The Sacred Teacher of Ten Thousand Realms? I have such a title in your world?" Hearing this, the prideful Uncle Jiu couldn't suppress a grin. "That title is quite good... though a bit flashy."
"Uncle Jiu, will you please take me as your disciple?"
Uncle Jiu nodded. "Very well, I shall accept you."
Seeing his consent, Li Qiuxia immediately knelt and performed the full ritual of three prostrations and nine kowtows. "Master above, please accept your disciple's bow!"
"Mmhmm. Get up. There is still some time before dawn, so go rest. Once the sun is up, I'll introduce you to your two senior brothers."
"Yes, Master!"
Lying in bed, Li Qiuxia reflected on the day's events. First, he had transmigrated into a child of the Uchiha Clan, which had caused him to grumble for ages. Then, he had mysteriously fainted and slept until nightfall,
only to discover he might have a Bloodline Disease and might not even survive the Massacre Night. Before he could even complain about that, he found himself in the Zombie World meeting Uncle Jiu.
After explaining his origins to Uncle Jiu and having the Patriarch verify his identity, he had endured a baptism that felt like torture, only to be told the curse was gone and then be accepted as a disciple. This single day had been nothing short of spectacular.
Wait, since the Patriarch removed the curse, does that mean I won't die? Li Qiuxia felt a surge of joy, but it was short-lived. Well, I'm not completely safe yet. After all, the Massacre Night is still an unavoidable hurdle.
Even though he had slept for an unknown amount of time before arriving, the exhaustion from traveling through this world and the intensity of the baptism caught up to him. He fell asleep shortly after.
The next day arrived, and Li Qiuxia met his two senior brothers: Qiusheng and Wencai. Both were delighted to have a new junior brother, though they were constantly at each other's throats, vying for the position of the "true" senior.
Wencai had followed Uncle Jiu since childhood, so by seniority, he was the elder. However, Wencai lacked Qiusheng's talent and martial skill, so Qiusheng refused to respect him. Conversely, Wencai refused to acknowledge Qiusheng as his senior since he had joined the sect first.
After officially joining, Li Qiuxia began his apprenticeship. He didn't start with Daoist arts immediately; instead, he began with literacy. Although he hadn't been illiterate in his past life, the script of the Republic era was different from modern Chinese.
Perhaps because of his young age or the heightened mental power gained from transmigration, it took him only two days to master the characters.
Once he could read, Uncle Jiu had him study the Taoist Canon and perform daily medicinal baths. After half a month of preparation, Li Qiuxia finally began practicing Maoshan techniques.
Because the world was currently in the Age of Dharma Decline and spiritual energy was scarce, the various sects had modified their techniques to adapt. The old method of simple Qi refinement was no longer reliable. Now, one had to refine Qi while also utilizing starlight, moonlight, and the "Purple Mist Qi" of the rising sun. Based on the depth of one's cultivation, new ranks had emerged for this era.
The first rank was the Sorcerer, characterized by leading Qi into the body. This rank was divided into nine grades. Each grade allowed the Sorcerer to draw in one additional strand of spiritual energy.
Reaching nine strands signified the completion of the Sorcerer rank. Of course, geniuses and those from great sects were exceptions. For instance, while an ordinary rogue cultivator might peak at nine strands, Maoshan disciples could draw in up to sixty-nine.
Uncle Jiu, for example, had drawn in sixty-three strands back at Maoshan, a feat matched by only a few in his generation.
After completing the Sorcerer rank, one had to condense these strands of spiritual energy into a single thread of magic power and guide it into the Dantian. The more energy strands merged,
the purer the magic power and the stronger the Daoist arts performed. Those who condensed magic power were called Taoists. Indeed, even in the Age of Dharma Decline, only those who possessed magic power could truly be called Taoists.
The Taoist rank was also divided into nine grades. One needed to condense one hundred threads of magic power to clear the meridians and become a Human Master. The rank of Human Master was the minimum standard to be called a "Daoist Master."
Clearing all meridians and using magic power to temper the three souls and seven spirits elevated one to an Earth Master. Due to their powerful souls, an Earth Master could borrow the power of the earth and perceive earthly veins with ease.
Above them was the Celestial Master, who had to transform their soul into a Primordial Spirit, as only a Primordial Spirit could directly interface with the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth.
Because his mental power was exceptionally strong, Li Qiuxia sensed the spiritual energy around him the moment he began his practice. Upon feeling it, he circulated his technique to draw the energy into his divine body.
Once inside, the spiritual energy merged into every part of him, but the vast majority of it flooded into his eyes. In that moment, Li Qiuxia suspected that he might have already awakened his Sharingan.
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