Chapter 508: What Arts Does My Master Know?

"I don't know…"

Facing his master's gaze, Pu Mei asked: "Master, what other arts can you teach us?"

"What other arts do I have? Hah…"

The master sat down on his cushion and leisurely took a fairy fruit from the basket to eat.

One bite, and a crisp crunch echoed—the fruit burst with juice, its soul-deep fragrance flooding their senses, leaving both staring, drooling.

Lin Jue chuckled and said to them:

"My arts are countless!"

"For combat and defense, beyond trivial tricks like exhaling breath or repelling fire, there are spell-binding methods to command objects with incantations, blood-binding methods to command objects with blood, and mind-commanding arts to control objects with thought alone."

There are arts to carve beans into soldiers and turn stones into generals; arts of gangqi, mountain pressure, water control, and fire arts—including the supreme yang Sun Many Yaoguai Flame. I know spirit-embedding incantations and shadow-projectile arts—the former infuses divine thunderfire into swords, the latter strikes foes through their shadows.

"There are dragon-play arts, remote-object retrieval, stone-transformation arts, wall-walking techniques, disaster-avoidance staff-binding methods, and qi-sealing arts to halt bleeding and heal wounds."

As their minds reeled, the master spoke again:

If you dislike combat, there are alchemical arts, ingestion methods tied to the path of elixirs, gathering techniques, spell formulas to reveal demonic forms, voice-transmission arts, beast-summoning and bird-taming methods, spray-transformation arts to turn others into birds, beasts, or plants, and feather-transformation arts to turn yourself into a bird.

"There are body-stilling arts, stone-sealing methods, binding techniques; dazzling golden lights to bewilder minds, and useful, amusing arts like 'Persuade to Frown,' 'Persuade to Smile,' and 'Ranting Madness.'"

Both stood frozen.

"There are dream-embedding arts, lamp-lighting techniques, incense-lighting methods, and illusion-silver arts to turn stone into fake silver."

"There are wind-summoning arts, wind-reversal methods, water-entry techniques, wall-walking arts, wood- Dun, earth- Dun, and the boundless art of transforming into pure wind—unfettered, unchained."

"And greater miracles: flowers blooming in an instant, stealing life to grant longevity, golden cicada shedding its shell, severed limbs regrowing, scattered essence reassembling."

"There are soul-binding talismans, lightning-summoning arts."

"…"

Both remained dazed.

They had thought years of apprenticeship had taught them everything about this master—yet now they understood where his legendary reputation in the mortal world truly came from.

"Don't be greedy!"

The master bit again into the fairy fruit; a single drop of juice slipped from his lips—enough, surely, to make mortals and spirits alike drool:

"Know this: most Daoists learn only one art, never as broadly as I do. Those with resources focus on one primary art and supplement it with a few others. The exceptionally gifted, with strong will and stamina, may master several simultaneously—but masters like me? Rare in all of history."

"Take it slow. Master one art first."

"Remember: many arts have no inherent strength or weakness, no final limit. Choose not the one that sounds most powerful—but the one that suits you best, the one that truly calls to your heart. Only then will you go far. Even the most common fire-spirit art, mastered to its peak, remains formidable."

Lin Jue spoke gently, unwilling to discourage them.

Pu Mei grew even more confused.

If the master had named just a few, she could have chosen; ten or so would have taken only a moment's thought—but hearing so many arts, unheard-of and unseen, how could she possibly pick?

"Master, I can't choose," Pu Mei admitted honestly. "But before I became your disciple, you often sent me down the mountain to subdue demons and purge evil. So I'll learn one art suited to that purpose."

"Agreed!"

The mountain wind blew more apricot petals inside.

Lin Jue finished one fruit, spat out its pit—deep red, streaked with stone and metal hues, resembling a raw cinnabar stone.

He reached out and caught a falling petal.

"Though I know many arts, I won't say which I favor most—but the few I use most often to subdue demons and fight mortals? Here, I'll show you. One is the mind-commanding art—Master Tao also knows it: to control objects with thought, like this—"

Under their gaze, the petal floated upward, spiraling once around the Daoist, then once around them.

Then—a sharp whistle through the air!

A gleaming sword shot from the Daoist's sleeve, circling him once, then them once—so fast it blurred, leaving only silver streaks in the air—before vanishing back into his sleeve.

Both disciples jumped back, stunned.

"How?"

"I'll learn this one!"

"Mind-commanding art isn't easy. Starting with it may crush your spirit," Lin Jue still avoided saying they lacked talent. "But there's a simpler version. If you wish to learn, begin with spell-binding—it was among the first arts I mastered, and it helped me defeat many demons and foes in my early Daoist days."

"I'll follow Master's guidance!"

"How are you progressing with Xu Yi in learning characters?"

"I can recognize many now."

"Good!"

Lin Jue pulled out a book:

"Take this and read it. From tomorrow, come here each morning—I'll teach you."

"I understand," Pu Mei nodded.

"What about me, Master?" Xu Yi cried. "When have you ever taught me any other art?"

"Why the rush?"

Lin Jue glanced at him:

"You've heard my legends down the mountain—do you know what art I'm most famed for?"

"Striking with thunder!" Xu Yi's eyes lit up—this sounded powerful too. "Master, are you going to teach me thunder art?"

"Nonsense! I mastered thunder art only after becoming famous!"

"But the people say you wield thunder—when someone's done evil, they say 'Lin Zhen will strike you down with thunder!' When a demon appears, they beg Lin Zhen to send thunder! Your clouds are thunder-clouds!"

"Superstitious nonsense," Lin Jue sighed. "Besides, when have I ever taught you thunder art?"

"Then what?"

"…"

Again, the apricot petal drifted gently onto the boy's nose.

"The art of blooming—wood-spirit mastery: flowers opening in an instant," Lin Jue said. "This isn't just my most skilled and powerful art—it's also one of my favorites."

"Blooming in an instant…"

The boy murmured, lost in thought.

"Blooming…"

He thought he'd heard the name before.

And before he joined, he'd planted flowers all over the mountain.

"One breath of spring, one thought of bloom—reviving dead wood, pleasing both self and others." Lin Jue picked up a brush, blew on it—and white apricot blossoms with faint pink blushes sprouted from its tip. He brushed lightly over it—dododo—the flowers fell one by one to the ground, the brush untouched.

Both disciples stepped back sharply.

Tiny sprouts had already pushed through the wooden floor beneath them, blooming into snow-white pear blossoms, interspersed with pink peach blossoms.

As they steadied themselves, they looked down again—and gasped.

"Oh!"

Flowers were sprouting on their clothes, their hair—even the covers of the books they held—painlessly, harmlessly.

Mostly apricot blossoms, pure white or faintly tinged pink.

A light tap sent them all tumbling to the ground—the petals soft, cool, damp, their veins clear, their golden stamens dotted with tiny specks, still attached to their stems—utterly real.

Their clothes and books bore no damage, only faint traces.

"This art pleases self and others. But for combat, it can sprout beneath clothing, from within flesh—piercing fabric, tearing skin, draining essence, even absorbing qi, divine power, and Dao cultivation. Even if plucked, it leaves bloody holes—deadly, cruel."

This is for pleasing oneself and others; but if used to harm others in combat, it can grow beneath the clothes, sprout from within flesh and skin, pierce through garments and tear through skin, sucking out essence and qi, and even absorbing cultivation power, divine power, and even Dao cultivation—even if pulled out, it leaves behind bloody holes, exceedingly cruel and deadly.

"How? Want to learn it?"

"Though cruel, I like it," Xu Yi said. "Master, rest assured—I'll use it wisely."

"Clever boy," Lin Jue smiled. "But among all my arts, this one is among the most mysterious, hardest to grasp."

"Then why aren't you afraid I'll lose heart?"

"Didn't I have you plant flowers all over the mountain?"

Didn't I tell you to plant flowers all over the mountain?

"Didn't you have countless insights?"

"Yes… yes…"

"Do you still remember them?"

"I… I still hold them in mind, though they've grown distant."

"No rush, no rush." Lin Jue pulled out another book.

"You know that little disciple of your uncle, Zi Yun? She's been building a road from Fengshan Hongye Guan here. You know that, right?"

Your uncle's young senior sister, Zi Yun, has been building a road from Hongye Pavilion all the way here—don't you all know that?

"Yes."

"It'll take years to finish."

Lin Jue clicked his tongue.

"You know I love flowers. I'll be traveling often to Fengshan Hongye Guan. This mountain is beautiful with flowers—but that road? Boring. If only there were a path lined with flowers blooming in different seasons—I'd love walking it. Hmm, decades or centuries later, when the trees become ancient and the path becomes legendary, with mist drifting gently and blossoms blooming on either side… ah, future travelers will remember you two."

"Master, no need to explain so much—I understand," Xu Yi nodded. "From tomorrow, I'll go to Fengshan Hongye Guan and start planting flowers along both sides of the road Zi Yun is building."

"Thoughtful! Take this book, read it. Come to me tomorrow afternoon—I'll explain it to you."

Thoughtful! Take the book and read it first; come to me tomorrow afternoon and I'll explain it to you!

Xu Yi stepped forward and took the book.

"Take it—"

"Take it—————"

Lin Jue gave them three fruits:

"These are immortal fruits. One each. Don't be greedy or rush—eat them before bed. Ordinary cultivators who consume them will fall unconscious for about three days. When they awaken, their Dao cultivation will greatly increase and greatly aid their future practice."

"Huh?"

Both were startled. They remembered how their Master had just eaten one as if it were an ordinary fruit, exchanged a glance, understood each other's thoughts, and quickly nodded to accept them.

"Thank you, Master!"

"But what about the third one?"

"The third one, you'll take to the imperial palace in Jingcheng and give it to the Emperor. Say you are my disciples, that the immortal fruit I planted has ripened, and I offer it to him as a gift." Lin Jue said, "Also tell him that after eating it, he must prepare for three days of unconsciousness. I'll have Divine Lei Yun escort you there. If any spirit, monk, or Daoist adept intercepts you along the way, simply say you are my disciples and explain your purpose."

Now that Zi Di had ascended the throne, Lin Jue no longer wished to let Fu Yao go alone into the imperial palace's forbidden grounds, fearing a spirit might appear—one speaking human words, the other fox speech—and cause confusion and chaos.

"Understood."

Both disciples departed.

The Daoist blew gently, and petals scattered across the floor flew out the window, swirling in the clear wind like a river.