Chapter 490: The Dragon Demon's Birthday

"It's still the seventh of the eighth month tonight; the hour of Zi hasn't arrived yet."

Seeing the old man talk about anything but the matter at hand, Qin Li Shixian could only shake her head and chime in: "Trapped in the tower with no sense of the passing years, it's a mercy you haven't forgotten the Patriarch's birthday."

Qin Yun lowered his eyelids: "That unfilial disciple picked quite the auspicious day."

"Mm?"

Qin Li Shixian's eyes flashed coldly: "Chi Chi Zhuiyang?"

"Someone has breached the realm using a secret art."

As Qin Yun paced, the divine realm covering the surroundings quietly dispersed. He walked outside the tower, leaned against the railing and gazed out, and could faintly detect that subtle ripple:

"The sword intent is fierce — it must be that Prefect of Jingping."

"He's finally here."

Gripping her long spear tightly, Qin Li Shixian bristled with killing intent. If the old man hadn't held her back, she would have gone to kill him at his doorstep long ago.

"The Master's birthday… well, that's fine, that's fine."

Qin Yun's eyes flickered, and he suddenly frowned: "That boy — is he trying to climb the tower?"

"Who?"

Qin Li Shixian stepped to the railing, swept a glance, and at the foot of the Eight Directions Tower spotted Master Han Han Chuijun and his disciple, who had brought Wang Wang Wenyuan along:

"What a coincidence?"

"Perhaps it's just a coincidence?"

Qin Yun's expression turned subtly strange:

"Too bad, he's not the one… mm, let him try it for now."

Qin Li Shixian paid it no heed, only scanning the edge of the Mi Jing:

"That Chi Chi Zhuiyang — you have to let me kill him."

"Whoever kills him, what does it matter?"

Qin Yun's eyes were deep and dark: "Since this unfilial disciple is set on entering the Patriarch's Hall, we might as well grant his wish."

"What do you mean?"

Qin Li Shixian was briefly startled, then immediately understood; the long spear she had raised was lowered.

Over a thousand years had passed. In the vast majority of jianghu legends, the records concerning the Dragon Demon Daoist amounted to no more than a handful of characters: 'Supreme Grandmaster.'

Yet they had forgotten that her Patriarch, whose spirit was attuned to the divine and whose Wu Gong had reached the pinnacle, was called the 'Dragon Demon' — but why?

Though she understood in her heart, she still felt a touch of sullen frustration:

"That Murong Qing — you have to leave him to me."

"Suit yourself."

Qin Yun turned and went back inside the tower. Before long, he had seated himself cross-legged in meditation; dense incense smoke curled around him, then spread outward, enveloping the entire room.

……

……

The Eight Directions Tower stood in the night like a Shenshan, its height impossible to fathom.

At the foot of the tower, Li Yuan looked up into the distance and could only faintly make out the tower's body.

Wang Wang Wenyuan yawned, then asked curiously: "Kid Li, when I asked you to climb the tower before, you refused again and again. What's with coming to torment this old man in the middle of the night?"

"There's no need to rush climbing the tower."

Han Han Chuijun had been dragged here by Li Yuan against his will; he was still holding a copy of 'Yi Xing Lun' in his hand. These past days, he had been utterly absorbed in the Dragon Demon's manuscripts and had no desire to leave at all.

"I've been in closed-door cultivation for quite a few days now; it's time to come out and stretch my legs."

Li Yuan merely smiled, but in truth his mind was elsewhere — settled upon the grey Dingxin Dingxin Shitai, upon the Listening-Wood Slip that was glowing with a faint, eerie light, upon which lines of text were flowing.

The Listening-Wood Slip did not record every gain from each listening, but once the Sound-Palm Slip had advanced to the seventh tier, it could freely summon any celestial sound it had ever heard.

【The Eight Directions Tower contains a world-shaking great secret…】

【The Eight Directions Tower seems to favor those who possess all forms alike, especially at the hour of Zi on the eighth day of the eighth month each year…】

'The eighth day of the eighth month.'

Sensing the Listening-Wood Slip, Li Yuan's expression grew subtly strange. This was the first celestial sound he had ever heard, and it was one of the reasons he had not been eager to climb the tower since coming to the Star-Plucking Tower.

He was waiting for the hour of Zi on the eighth day of the eighth month, and had dragged Old Han out with him.

"Do as you please."

Wang Wang Wenyuan could see his words carried no sincerity, but had no intention of pressing the matter. He took out his token and slapped it against the tower's body:

"Go on."

"Thank you, Master."

Li Yuan cupped his fist in thanks, snatched the Yi Xing Lun from Old Han's hand, and pushed him into the Eight Directions Tower together with him.

'When it comes to possessing all forms alike, who in the Star-Plucking Tower but my master and disciple?'

As light and shadow wove and shifted, Li Yuan muttered to himself. He was immensely interested in whatever the Eight Directions Tower concealed — or rather, whatever the Dragon Demon Daoist had left behind.

Hum—

Like rippling water-light flickering before his eyes, in the next instant Li Yuan had entered the Eight Directions Tower. He surveyed his surroundings — it was the level he had last withdrawn from.

"No need to climb from the start — that's a pleasant surprise."

Li Yuan squinted as he surveyed his surroundings, but he was in no hurry to climb the tower. Instead, he took a spirit pill, seated himself cross-legged in stillness, sorted through his Zi Shen Wu Gong, and waited for the hour of Zi to arrive.

Over the past half month, he had immersed himself in the Dragon Demon's manuscripts, using the texts left behind by this Supreme Grandmaster as a mirror to sort through everything he had learned from the very beginning, and had gained a great deal.

All along his path, Po Jing had been as easy as drinking water; in less than ten years he had traversed a road that would take ordinary people dozens or even over a hundred years to complete, and now stood just before the threshold of Blood Exchange.

Granted, he had advanced at a triumphant pace, but he lacked a certain depth forged by the years.

The Dragon Demon Daoist's understanding of martial arts, however, had supplied him with that very depth. At this moment, he sat cross-legged, true qi circulating around his body; the intricate and complex qi channels within him flickered in and out of sight, and from time to time the sound of flowing water seeped out from his body.

"Wu Gong cultivation begins with blood and qi, progresses through nourishing strength, tempering the body, and internal fortification to reach the stage of transforming the form and entering the hall, then passes through unblocking meridians, refining organs, and refining marrow, culminating in the great completion of blood replacement..."

Li Yuan closed his eyes as the Dragon Demon's handwritten manuscript flowed ceaselessly within his heart.

Over half a month, he had roughly read through the classics left by the Dragon Demon Daoist; relying on his ability to remember everything at a single glance, although he had not yet digested them, he had committed them all to memory.

"The great circulation of blood and qi, the great circulation of true qi, the polishing of organs, and the polishing of marrow, bones, tendons, and fascia—I achieved the best possible at that time; looking back now, though there are flaws, the foundation is solid."

Li Yuan spoke to himself in his heart.

Regarding Wu Gong cultivation, he had always been extremely cautious; thanks to his steadiness, even when compared to the classics left by the Dragon Demon Daoist, there were actually not many errors or omissions.

It was just that the Dragon Demon Daoist's realm was too high and his research too deep, so that even with a foundation like his, there was still the possibility for improvement, consolidation, and expansion.

For instance, regarding blood and qi circulation, back then he had figured out a great circulation covering the skull, and even with Long Xi Xiang's keen eye, no errors or omissions could be found.

Yet according to the Dragon Demon Daoist, the true great circulation must not only cover the torso and skull but also delve deep into the four limbs and hundred bones, encompassing even the most minute details of the entire body.

As for the qi meridians, thirty-six were certainly sufficient, but they could likewise be expanded to cover the entire body.

During these half a month, Li Yuan did not leave his room; besides reading, he was also reorganizing these two great circulations; thanks to his talent, progress was rapid, and by now, there was already considerable success.

And this was while he was also dividing his attention on the alteration of his bone structure; otherwise, it would have been even faster.

"The handwritten manuscript left by the Dragon Demon Daoist certainly will not stop at the theory of transforming the form or the theory of true qi; refining marrow and replacing blood, and even entering the Dao and merging as one, should also be included, but they are not in the Library..."

Li Yuan's thoughts wandered; after organizing for a long time, he slowly rose, took a pill, and began practicing the standing meditation posture.

With the support of a peerless-level talent, even while immersed in the manuscript, his progress in various Wu Gong skills did not fall behind; in half a month, another seven or eight mid-to-low tier Wu Gong skills had been cultivated to great perfection.

The transformed form had also advanced further, reaching the number eight hundred and forty.

"One thousand forms within a few months; before that, I suppose I will have to try contacting the strange beasts on the path of the Black Whale..."

After a long while, Li Yuan exhaled a long breath, slowly settled his stance, looked around, and observed the changes.

The hour of Zi had arrived.

Hiss!

A sharp sword light flashed into existence out of thin air.

Then, Chi Zuiyang walked slowly into the Ba Fang Mi Jing; he glanced at the Ba Fang Tower standing like a Shenshan giant mountain, and felt a sense of relief in his heart:

"Made it in time..."

As his thoughts shifted, he was about to rush toward the Ba Fang Tower, but was blocked horizontally by that crimson-gold sword light; the Jing Ping Si Zhu manifested his figure and looked at him with a half-smile:

"Brother Chi, since this is cooperation, we should be honest with each other, wouldn't you say?"

"You!"

Anger rose in Chi Zuiyang's heart, but he forced it down, transmitting his voice in a deep tone:

"The eighth day of the eighth lunar month is the birthday of the Dragon Demon Daoist; it has simply always been concealed by the Qin family lineage, so ordinary people do not know."

"The birthday of the Dragon Demon Daoist?"

The Jing Ping Si Zhu looked around; under the night sky, the shadow of the Ba Fang Tower covered the wilderness:

"And then?"

"Perhaps only by ascending the tower today can one glimpse the inheritance left by the Dragon Demon Daoist."

Seeing that he would not make way, Chi Zuiyang had no choice but to concede.

"I see."

The Jing Ping Si Zhu narrowed his eyes slightly, made way, but followed behind Chi Zuiyang; the latter frowned tightly, and his voice grew colder:

"What, does the Si Zhu also have an interest?"

"The inheritance of an Unparalleled Great Grandmaster, naturally, this Si Zhu has some interest in."

The Jing Ping Si Zhu smiled slightly; he swept his cold gaze over the desolate Mi Jing: "As for the traitors of the Zhai Xing Lou, there is no rush for this brief moment."

"Then, we shall see the Si Zhu's skill."

Chi Zuiyang had no mind to entangle with him; although angry in his heart, he merely coldly threw out those few words, and in the next instant, had vanished into the Ba Fang Tower.

Buzz~

The Ba Fang Tower suddenly emitted light, and the angry shouts of the guards only then reached them.

The Jing Ping Si Zhu was unhurried; first he sensed the area, then entered the Ba Fang Tower; what interested him more was the Ba Fang Tower itself.

"The Patriarch's inheritance is not so easily coveted."

Watching the two enter the tower with cold eyes, Qin Li Shixian felt cold in her heart; regarding the Patriarch Hall, she was even more wary and dared not step inside lightly.

The moment those two entered the tower, they were destined to be dead men.

"That young man is also entering the tower tonight; this is too coincidental..."

Suppressing the killing intent, Qin Li Shixian thought again of that cunning young man; after considering, she still communicated with the Ba Fang Tower.

Buzz~

Almost at the same moment the hour of Zi arrived, Li Yuan felt an invisible wave suddenly descend, sweeping over him at an extremely fast speed.

"It has come?"

Li Yuan settled his mind; in the next instant, he felt his consciousness falter slightly, as vast waves of light and shadow surged up around him, flowing and intertwining at high speed, dazzling the eyes.

But it was only a few breaths of time; when Li Yuan came to his senses, he found himself in a brightly lit 'academy'.

An academy, a familiar one.

"This place?"

Li Yuan's eyelid twitched.

The specifications of this academy were very high, the space quite large, almost exactly the same as the one he had seen when listening to the Heavenly Sound before.

The difference was that this academy no longer had those richly dressed students.

"Where is this?"

Li Yuan turned his head and saw Old Han's figure suddenly appear at a corner seat, looking around in surprise.

"This place…"

Li Yuan was about to speak when he suddenly heard a light cough; his heart gave a jolt, and he already saw the old teacher walking slowly into the academy, ruler in hand.