Chapter 477: The Cracked Passage

Only by climbing high can one see far!

Seeing Wang Lao again stirred quite a few feelings in Li Yue's heart!

The old scholar was still the same old scholar; what was different was that his realm and insight had risen!

In his perception, Wang Lao had suffered extremely severe injuries, to the point that his realm had dropped; looking at him now, he barely had the level of Blood Exchange Great Completion!

"A tiger entering the mountains, a dragon entering the sea — back in the day, I truly misjudged you!"

What the Juan Sect records mostly seemed empty and vague; seeing Li Yue in person now, Wang Lao was truly shaken to the core!

Less than ten years in total, and this kid had leapt from a frail, sickly blacksmith apprentice in a small county to a top expert of the present age!

In his entire life, the only one he had seen who could barely compare to such speed was his own Tower Master!

But his own Tower Master, even before birth, had already been nourished by spirit pills like the Longhu Longhu Dadan and the Long Long Modadan — truly conditions for cultivating martial arts from the womb, a world apart from this kid!

What kind of constitution could ignore such a vast gap?

"I still have to thank Master Wang for recommending me back then!"

Li Yue's manners were impeccable; regarding Wang Lao's recommendation, it hadn't been all that smooth for him to formally take Yang Jian Tian Yi as his master!

"With your talent, even without my letter, you would have entered the Dragon Tiger Temple sooner or later.

"

Wang Lao waved his hand, inviting Li Yue to take a seat!

In the small courtyard there were a stone table and stone stools, along with hot tea and fruits; Li Yue poured tea for him, just as before!

Wang Lao's expression softened even more. In the years since his serious injury, he had seen far too many cases of people being respectful to one's face but contemptuous behind one's back; given Li Yue's current status and position, this attitude was truly rare!

Therefore, when Li Yue probed him with indirect questions, he answered without hesitation, even pulling a letter from the Tower Master out of his robe!

This handwriting — no doubt about it!

Li Yue hadn't expected Old Master Wang to be so direct; he hurriedly reached out to take the letter, and after a brief glance, already recognized the handwriting!

"The Tower Master's letter instructs me to open the tower and send you inside; as for anything else, there were no orders!"

After Li Yue finished reading, Wang Lao took the letter back, pointed at the Eight Directions Tower standing not far away, and explained its origins and benefits to him!

Old Han's intelligence gathering was quite thorough; what Wang Lao said was largely the same as Old Han's earlier introduction, just a bit more detailed!

During the conversation, he also casually mentioned some secrets of the Star-Plucking Tower!

"The Star-Plucking Tower is different from sects like the Dragon Tiger Temple; it leans more toward a jianghu organization, with no strict rules!"

Saying this, Wang Lao paused: "Betraying the Tower is a cardinal taboo!"

Li Yue nodded; if even this rule didn't exist, the Star-Plucking Tower would have long since fallen apart!

"The Eight Directions Tower is the Tower's main altar and also a trial ground; aside from the one hundred and eight assassins of the Heaven and Earth ranks, most people are not permitted to enter the tower!"

Wang Lao only casually mentioned a few rules; these didn't apply to Li Yue — once the Tower Master spoke, no one dared object!

Especially now, after the assassination in the Divine Capital, the great pursuit of Chi Chi Zhuiyang, Murong Qing and others' rebellion, and the imperial court's massive manhunt, the elders left within the Tower could barely be counted on one hand!

"Similar to the Dragon Tiger Pagoda?"

Li Yue felt a bit strange inside!

No matter how he looked at it, this Eight Directions Tower had a flavor of the Dragon Tiger Pagoda; the difference was that behind this tower was not a ruined sect, but the inheritance of that Long Modaoist.

"Today is rushed; tomorrow morning, I will send you into the tower!

"

After a round of conversation, Wang Lao made his decision; Li Yue had no objections either, but as he was leaving he asked about his own elder brother Li Yue.

"Your elder brother…"

Wang Lao found it a bit hard to keep his composure… he recalled his old assessment of Li Yue, the words saying this kid's talent was inferior to Li Yue's!

"Ahem, he entered the tower last time and hasn't come out yet; once he does, I'll summon him to see you!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Li Yue cupped his hands in thanks, turned, and left!

"Misjudged, misjudged!"

After Li Yue departed, the smile vanished from Wang Lao's face, and he felt quite a bit of vexation inside!

Had he known this kid's talent was so astonishing, he'd have had to be crazy to send him to that old thing Yang Jian Tian Yi!

"Next time I see Yang Jian Tian Yi…"

Wang Lao was grinding his teeth when he suddenly heard an icy voice come from the room behind him!

"Li Yue was actually someone you sent to Yang Jian Tian Yi?"

Hearing this voice, Wang Lao's expression stiffened; he slowly turned around and saw, inside the room, his own Tower Master flipping through a dossier, her gaze very dangerous!

"This — truly was a misjudgment!"

Wang Lao gave a bitter smile!

In fact, he too found it quite inconceivable at this moment; back in the day he had met Li Yue many times, and though he hadn't personally felt his bones, he believed he had seen through him thoroughly enough!

In his eyes, the Li Yue of that time was truly just an ordinary martial artist with a bit of comprehension but middling-to-low bone structure!

Who would have expected…

"Enough!"

Qin Li Shixian glanced at him; seeing his withered aura, she couldn't bear to scold him further, and instead turned to flipping through various dossiers!

Mainly the casualties and losses of personnel within the Star-Plucking Tower over these past three years!

The more she read, the deeper her brow furrowed!

The Star-Plucking Tower did not occupy any prefecture or county, so naturally it could not broadly recruit talented disciples and train them like Daoist sects or the imperial court!

Although the loose rules meant they never lacked for people in ordinary times, when true calamity struck, those who scattered like birds and beasts were also many!

This Juan Sect roster is actually half empty; the missing outnumber the dead and wounded by more than ten times!

Seeing her in a bad mood, Wang Lao naturally did not provoke her frown... Instead, he tidied the tea table and went off to brew a pot of tea!

Once the tea was brewed, Qin Li Shixian finally sat down, suppressing her anger, and raised her hand, nearly shattering the stone table: "Chi Chi Zhuiyang, Murong Qing."

Wang Wen Yuan's heart pounded and his flesh trembled; he could even hear the sound of grinding teeth!

After a while, Qin Li Shixian finally calmed down, lifted her teacup, and listened as Wang Wen Yuan recounted the events of the past few years, mainly concerning

the Eight Directions Tower!

"Ghost-Faced Asura, Han Han Chuijun?"

Qin Li Shixian chewed on the name, her expression becoming somewhat strange; she realized she had not cared enough about the affairs within the tower!

So that it was only today she learned that not only Li Zhou, but Li Zhou's master and elder brother were actually people within her tower!

Last time, when repelling Chi Chi Zhuiyang and Murong Qing, it was thanks to Han Han Chuijun; though he only cultivated the viscera, he had altered his form into that of a hundred beasts, and before entering the tower, he had received a page of inheritance from the Dragon Demon Ancestor...

Wang Wen Yuan did not spare his praise!

"Form of the Hundred Beasts, Dragon Demon Heart Sutra!"

Qin Li Shixian's mood improved considerably, and Wang Wen Yuan took the opportunity to mention the Longhu Longhu Dadan.

"Last time, when Chi Chi Zhuiyang abruptly broke in, the tower elders were absent; to protect the tower, we promised the Long Long Modadan and a divine weapon!"

"To step forward in times of peril deserves reward!"

To this, Qin Li Shixian agreed, but quickly reacted: "What, has the Faceless One gone back on his word?"

"Not exactly going back on his word, but rather saying to wait for your return!"

Wang Wen Yuan spoke very euphemistically!

"Scoundrel!"

Qin Li Shixian raised her brows in fury; had Wang Wen Yuan not been quick-eyed and quick-handed to stop her, she would have immediately dragged Mo Mo Yingxiong out to be beaten!

To break one's word even in such a time?

No...

"Could it be that this old fellow thought this Tower Master was dead at the time?"

Thinking this, Qin Li Shixian's anger grew even greater.

Wang Wen Yuan tried to stop her again but failed; he only felt a flash before his eyes, and the Tower Master was already gone!

Not long after, he heard a sharp and brief scream, followed by only the sound of "Plop!" as Mo Mo Yingxiong was ruthlessly pinned to the ground, sending up rolling clouds of dust!

Feeling the shocked and angry gaze of Mo Mo Yingxiong, Wang Wen Yuan could not help but hold his forehead and sigh; what sort of mess is this!

Looking at the Tower Master Qin, radiating killing intent, he suddenly missed the old Tower Master immensely!

"Reward and punishment are unclear; he deserves a beating!"

Qin Li Shixian swept a cold glance over; Mo Mo Yingxiong was covered in dust and dirt, yet he could only glare fiercely at Wang Wen Yuan!

Beaten

Afterward, Qin Li Shixian took out four Longhu Longhu Dadan: "In times of peril, guarding the Mi Jing also deserves reward!"

Those pills were black as ink, with dragon patterns flashing with blood light; they were truly the sole King of Spiritual Pills of the Zhai Xing Lou, the Long Long Modadan!

The formula for this pill came from the Dragon Demon Daoist; it is difficult to refine, yet its medicinal power is extremely strong; it not only has the ability to nourish the physical body, but also to strengthen the spirit and nourish the spiritual image of the Divine Realm!

"Truly crude!"

Looking at the two Long Long Modadan in his hand, Wang Wen Yuan and the other person exchanged glances, their expressions both somewhat strange!

For them, the Tower Master Qin's method was indeed a bit crude, but they quickly stored them away, bowed deeply, and thanked: "Thank you, Tower Master, for the reward!"

Regardless, this reward was extremely heavy; in ordinary circumstances, given their status, they would only receive a share of one Long Long Modadan every twenty years!

"Hmm!"

After giving a few cursory instructions, Qin Li Shixian waved her hand to let the two people leave; touching the few Long Long Modadan inside her sleeve, she suddenly felt a bit of a headache!

"She still owes Li Zhou ten pills!"

The Zhai Xing Lou is quite poor!

In the small courtyard where he was settled, Li Zhou surveyed the furnishings around him, pondering in his heart!

No matter how large the assassin organization, it could never be as wealthy as a faction that dominates a region, named a Sect in title but actually a Feudal King!

Recalling the observations along the way, plus the information gained from Old Han and Master Wang Lao, Li Zhou could not help but feel some worry about the ten Long Long Modadan promised by the Zhai Xing Lou Master!

"A proper Zhai Xing Lou Master, a Grandmaster on the Divine List, a giant of the Earthly Immortal level, surely cannot default on a debt?"

Li Zhou's muttering was somewhat loud; he did not know if the Zhai Xing Lou Master was spying nearby, but those secretly watching him would certainly be able to hear!

After muttering a few times, he entered the room, first opening the window

to air out the smell!

This room was obviously unoccupied for a long time; although it was cleaned fairly well, the smell was heavy, and the bedding was full of dust!

Even if Li Zhou was not picky, he could not sleep on such things; immediately, he threw the bedding all at once into the wooden basin in the courtyard!

"It is hard to go from luxury to frugality!"

Washing the bedding, Daoist Li could not help but feel some emotion in his heart, but did not feel it was anything special; after all, in his early years, he scrubbed pots every day!

Washing a quilt was nothing to him!

After washing and hanging them up, the smell in the room dissipated; Li Zhou practiced a few sets of stance exercises, then sat cross-legged on the bed board!

Having just arrived at this Fang Mi Jing, he kept some vigilance in his heart and did not use the Thunder Beast Spirit Pill to alter his root bone; caution is never a big mistake!

"Hoo."

Sitting cross-legged in meditation, Li Zhou looked inward and saw his own body filled with bright light!

Since the Niwan Palace opened wide, Li Zhou's skill in internal vision has also risen with the tide; closing his eyes, the tendons, bones, and viscera within his body were visible in the finest detail!

Altering the root bone will inevitably affect the physique!

For superior root bone, the outward manifestation may be "tiger back and bear waist," or "ape arms and wasp waist"—the outward characteristics, to a certain extent, represent one's own root bone!

But superior root bone is at most a few hundred forms; he now, possessing so many forms, already has over seven hundred!

It can no longer be described by a single form—his limbs, torso, waist, and neck could dazzle any expert skilled in bone-reading!

Most of the words in the world used to describe root bone—what dragon, tiger, bear, wolf—can all be applied to him!

His physique was also undergoing transformation like sand piling into a tower; though he had not yet undergone blood exchange, his physique was already no inferior to any Grandmaster he had ever seen!

Crash!

Qi, blood, and true qi rolled and surged within his body, passing through flesh, blood, organs, and bones, straight into the four limbs and hundred bones, cycling again and again!

His various organs, under repeated washings, emitted a faint glow; his bones were like fine jade, and with a slight rub

of movement, it was the sound of Jin Yu!

"The modification of the 'Nine Python Body' of the 'Six Spirit Elephant' should be within the next few days… let me first meet that Master of the Star-Picking Tower!"

Ever since the Dragon Tiger Health-Preserving Furnace acknowledged him as master,

he has been very wary of Mi Jing, especially Mi Jing of other sects!

Who knows whether this Eight Directions Tower has the ability to monitor?

If it does, the scene of him sprouting a coat of dog hair during his root bone modification—if seen by others—would truly be somewhat horrifying!

"Or perhaps, for a Rudao Sect Grandmaster, turning into a dog is nothing remarkable?"

Li Yuan pondered in his heart!

If shape-shifting is the beginning of becoming non-human, then blood exchange must already mean being non-human!

A martial artist who has achieved great success in blood exchange, by paying a certain price, can truly transform their body into a beast's body!

"Blood exchange!"

Li Yuan felt the flow of blood within his body!

His marrow refinement had reached great success; though still lacking a few measures of heat, that was only because his progress was too fast—in fact, he could already begin blood exchange!

"With my current talent, plus two Longhu Longhu Dadan, perhaps I can achieve blood exchange within a hundred days?"

Regarding the progress of his own Wu Gong, Li Yuan still had some grasp!

Precisely because he knew this, he did not mind waiting a while—to make up the lacking measures of heat in marrow refinement, and also to wait until he had gathered a thousand forms!

Gathering a thousand forms, his innate talent might not undergo substantial transformation, but it concerned his complete mastery of the Rifting Sea Mysterious Whale Hammer!

By then, it would no longer be just a thousand forms, but several thousand!

Hum!

Li Zhou split his attention, maintaining the visualization and the great circulation of true qi, while at the same time shifting his mind and switching out the Rifting Sea Mysterious Whale Hammer!

The next instant, he had already entered the Mysterious Whale Mi Jing and arrived at the Mysterious Whale

Sect's mountain gate!

Even when traveling, he would come every now and then to grind through the Mysterious Whale Sect's true lineage trial; over time, his gains were actually considerable!

In total, he had obtained nine Mysterious Whale Battle Hammers; counting the two he had obtained before, that made eleven divine weapons!

Even more valuable was that these eight Mysterious Whale Hammers were very compatible; if he was willing to spend incense merit, theoretically, he could synthesize three eighth-tier divine weapons, with two seventh-tier ones left over!

"Woo woo."

The Mysterious Whale Spirit let out a soft trembling cry; ever since Li Yuan had been acknowledged as master by the Dragon Tiger Health-Preserving Furnace, this hammer spirit had kept a very low posture!

Li Yuan paid no heed to this hammer spirit's overtures of goodwill; with a shift of his mind, he had already stepped past the gate archway!

Buzz buzz!

Within the mountain gate, clouds and mist surged, and light flickered!

Soon, the passage of the true lineage trial had emerged, and the familiar stone tablet rose up from the ground!

Li Yuan set down the Mysterious Whale Hammer and was about to step forward, when he suddenly heard a "crack"—the passage before him split open!