‘Level Five…’ Lu Sheng noticed that a button for martial arts extrapolation had indeed appeared behind the entry. In truth, nothing on the button explicitly stated that it was meant for extrapolation—that had simply been his assumption.
As long as he possessed enough Yin Qi, such a button would appear behind any martial art. By coincidence, he had already pushed all his previous skills to their pinnacle levels; thus, whenever he pressed the button, extrapolation occurred naturally. But the Ultimate Crimson Mantra had seven levels in total, and he had no way of reaching its pinnacle anytime soon. This was the first time he had ever seen the button manifest for a martial art that had not yet been mastered fully.
‘Let’s give it a shot.’ Lu Sheng focused his attention on the small button hovering behind the Ultimate Crimson Mantra and tapped it.
Swish.
On the Modifier, the box representing the Ultimate Crimson Mantra blurred, its edges trembling before sharpening again two breaths later.
Ultimate Crimson Mantra: Level Six. Special Effect(s): Intensified Fire Poison, Four-fold Tremor, Intensified Incendiary.
‘It really worked!?’
A rush of joy surged through him as he examined the changes within his body.
On the surface, it looked like a simple upgrade to Level Six. Yet he could clearly feel his inner Qi thickening—growing heavier and warmer, more than doubling in density as it coursed through him. His wounds prickled with faint, crawling itchiness.
‘I still don’t see much use for the Tremor effect… but earlier, when I fought the lantern lady, my strikes were far heavier than expected. That must have been the Tremor. Now that it’s four-fold… it should be even stronger.’
With his Qi enhanced, his cultivation felt deeper, steadier. His blows would likely land with greater force as well. But he knew he was still far from being able to fight a creature like the lantern lady head-on.
‘That lantern lady… if I hadn’t forced myself to trade wounds for a chance to grab her… if it had been anyone else, not me… they would’ve been tormented to death.’
He turned his gaze back to the Modifier. All the buttons had vanished.
His Yin Qi was clearly no longer enough to continue.
‘Since Yin Qi can upgrade skills too, I can just search for Yin-Qi-laden items everywhere… or even hunt ghosts myself.’ Lu Sheng resolved to focus entirely on strengthening his abilities, pushing aside every other concern. As long as he grew stronger, he believed he would eventually find a way to handle anything. With a Modifier that defied all common logic, he refused to believe he couldn’t deal with a few ghosts.
With the silver hairpin’s Yin Qi fully drained, he put it away and went to sleep.
After a night of deep, dreamless rest, Lu Sheng awoke before dawn, ate a quick breakfast, and headed straight for the Crimson Whale.
He climbed to the tower’s third story and found the Old Sect Master in the pharmacy, quietly consuming white stone powder.
Morning sunlight streamed in from the side windows, casting warm light onto a man-tall bronze pill cauldron. Crane and bird engravings shimmered upon its yellowed surface. The Old Sect Master, clothed in plain white, sat before it—his left hand grotesquely twisted and braced to his neck with a wooden splint.
He showed no surprise at Lu Sheng’s arrival.
“Junior Apprentice Brother, it seems you fared even worse than me.”
“Senior Apprentice Brother, you too…” Lu Sheng’s lips twitched involuntarily. The Old Sect Master’s condition left him momentarily at a loss for words.
“Forbidden zones aren’t easily guarded,” the Old Sect Master sighed. “So many incidents in such a short time… when deities fight, mortals suffer. Even these small demons and minor ghosts are already quite troublesome for us.”
“How does Senior Apprentice Brother deal with those extremely fast ghosts?” Lu Sheng’s main purpose for coming here surfaced. With his age and experience, the Old Sect Master surely had methods he hadn’t yet learned.
As expected, a faint smile tugged at the Old Sect Master’s lips.
“I knew you’d ask me this—just like I once asked my Master.”
He rose slowly, walked toward the window, and gazed out through it.
Cypress Pine Lake stretched endlessly into the horizon, its waters rolling in rhythmic waves that slapped gently against the hull of the Crimson Whale as the wind carried it forward.
“Our Crimson Sun Sect naturally possesses more than a single inner skill—the Ultimate Crimson Mantra,” Hong Mingzi said quietly. “To be precise, we also have several first-rate combat martial arts handed down through the generations.”
Lu Sheng’s expression sharpened with focus.
“May Senior Apprentice Brother please advise.”
Hong Mingzi turned around with a faint smile.
“Each of these martial arts is deep and profound, all built upon the Ultimate Crimson Mantra as their foundation. The stronger your Ultimate Crimson Mantra, the more formidable these combat skills become.” He paused before continuing. “I won’t overwhelm you with everything at once. Too much too soon becomes harmful. I’ll teach you a saber technique that suits you well. You’re already adept with the long saber and palm techniques, and they share certain principles. This saber technique should compensate for your lack of offensive strength.”
“May Senior Apprentice Brother please teach me.” Lu Sheng stood up, his tone solemn.
Hong Mingzi nodded with approval. “This saber technique is called the ‘Changing the Heavens in Seven Days Saber Technique.’”
“‘Changing the Heavens in Seven Days Saber Technique’? I like the name,” Lu Sheng said, licking his lips lightly.
“This technique requires the use of a heavy weapon. The heavier it is, the more powerful the technique becomes. It’s specifically created to complement the Tremor ability of the Ultimate Crimson Mantra,” Hong Mingzi explained.
“Tremor ability?” Lu Sheng murmured thoughtfully. “Then can I use a hammer instead? Hammers are heavy. Wouldn’t that be even stronger?”
“Er… well, it doesn’t say you can’t…” Hong Mingzi blinked, momentarily taken aback. It was clearly a saber technique, yet Lu Sheng immediately leapt to the idea of using a hammer.
“After mastering the Changing the Heavens in Seven Days Saber Technique, you’ll be able to release an inner-Qi web formed by Ultimate Crimson Qi. Its range is wide, making it extremely effective against fast opponents,” the Old Sect Master added. “Are you interested in learning it?”
“Of course,” Lu Sheng replied without hesitation.
“The strokes aren’t difficult. The key lies in pairing them with the mantra. Let me explain it briefly and you’ll understand…” Hong Mingzi began detailing the cultivation method and the points Lu Sheng needed to pay attention to for the Changing the Heavens in Seven Days Saber Technique.
The technique consisted of only two core strokes, but each carried more than ten variations and permutations. Lu Sheng absorbed them quickly, committing every movement to memory.
On the Modifier, a new box appeared—Changing the Heavens in Seven Days Saber Technique.
The two of them continued until noon, one instructing with patience, the other learning with sharp focus.
“Oh, Junior Apprentice Brother, what level have you reached in the Ultimate Crimson Mantra? Did the conversion from your previous skill go smoothly?” Hong Mingzi asked suddenly, then added, “It’s fine if you’d rather not say.”
“Level Four.” Lu Sheng kept his recent breakthroughs to himself, mentioning only the level he had reached when he finished converting the Blood Fury Skill.
“Mm, about what I expected,” Hong Mingzi nodded. “Ultimate Crimson Qi at Level Four is enough to activate the Changing the Heavens in Seven Days Saber Technique. You should have no trouble dealing with an ordinary ghost or a small demon.”
Lu Sheng hesitated on purpose, his brow knitting. “Senior Apprentice Brother, I have a question… but I’m not sure if I should ask.”
“You and I are disciples of the same sect. We’re the last two members of the Crimson Sun Sect. When I’m gone, you’ll be the Sect Chief. What could you possibly not ask?” Hong Mingzi waved his hand lightly. “Speak.”
Lu Sheng arranged his thoughts carefully before lowering his voice. “I want to ask… Noble Families, demons, ghosts… in what way are they stronger than us?”
He whispered as softly as he could, but with his cultivation already at Level Six, the Old Sect Master’s senses were razor-sharp; he heard the question clearly and immediately.
The smile on his face faded. His brows tightened into a heavy furrow.
“I spent several decades researching this question. Only then did I arrive at a possible conclusion.”
“Several decades?”
Hong Mingzi nodded.
“Did you think such lofty beings would ever interact much with mortals like us? All I ever had were fragments—eavesdropped conversations, scattered clues from my observations. From those scraps, I pieced together my conclusions.”
“May Senior Apprentice Brother please enlighten me,” Lu Sheng said respectfully.
Hong Mingzi tore open another packet of white stone powder. The relaxant—popular throughout Mountain-Edge City—was known for its mild hallucinatory effects and for easing tension without leaving any side effects.
He inhaled softly before speaking.
“Noble Families, Anomalies, Devils. These are the true overlords of our world. They are the deities and the devils—the sources of all legends and myths.” A distant look settled in his eyes. “To put it simply, there are two truths about them.”
He raised two fingers. “First: these three kinds of beings cannot die.”
“Cannot die!?” Lu Sheng’s heart jolted.
“Yes. They simply cannot die,” Hong Mingzi said with a touch of bitterness. “No matter what we attempt, unless they kill one another, mortals like us cannot harm them. As for why… I still haven’t uncovered the reason. I’m still researching. Otherwise, with our cultivation, even if we fall short, the gap shouldn’t be an uncrossable abyss.”
Lu Sheng’s thoughts drifted to the little girl from Song Manor, and he grew quiet.
Hong Mingzi continued. “Second: they possess a type of power that is extremely lethal to mortals. They call this power ‘Bind.’”
“Bind?” Lu Sheng echoed.
“Yes. ‘Bind,’ as in binding, restraining,” Hong Mingzi sighed. “Devils, Anomalies, and Noblemen are born with this power. Ghosts and demons must cultivate it. Only by attaining Bind can they resist the poisonous aura that surrounds their own bodies—an aura that kills mortals upon the slightest contact. Unless they deliberately suppress their power, even brushing against them is fatal.”
“Bind…” Lu Sheng sank into deep contemplation.
“They cannot die, and their bodies are shrouded in a lethal poison that kills on contact. That is the power of Bind. Even if you or I were to touch it, we’d struggle to survive. Unless you immediately expend a massive amount of inner Qi and cut away the contaminated flesh, there is no way to neutralize it,” Hong Mingzi said, setting down the packet of white stone powder.
“From what I’ve gathered through eavesdropping, Bind is a realm—a level of existence. It’s a natural transformation achieved after reaching a certain height in cultivation. Any fully formed Anomaly, Devil, or Nobleman possesses this power. Unless they voluntarily suppress it, any mortal who touches them will die.”
Lu Sheng felt a cold chill creep up his spine as he recalled how close he had been to Duanmu Wan. If she had slipped for even a heartbeat and failed to contract her Bind power, he might already be a corpse rotting in some corner. Even the accidental handprint Zhen Yi left behind had forced him to sever the infected portion of his finger. If he had touched Zhen Yi directly…
“Then… what about Song Manor?” he asked suddenly as the memory surfaced.
“That was an Anomaly that had not fully formed. Why else would it be so weak? Dangerous to us, yes—but in their world, it is nothing more than a half-shaped, aborted, abandoned remnant,” the Old Sect Master explained. “But don’t worry. I’ve observed that the power of Bind dissipates on its own within the time it takes for a joss stick to burn after it leaves its owner’s body. It cannot spread or grow.”
“In that case, Senior Apprentice Brother… have you ever come into direct contact with Bind before?” Lu Sheng asked quietly. “Among us martial cultivators, is there any way to resist such power? Or even achieve something similar?”
“Resist?” Hong Mingzi shook his head. “Impossible. With this old man’s skills, I can rank among the top three in all the Northern Lands. Even in the Central Plains, I would stand among the top-tier experts. Any further and I would already be a Divine Prime—standing at the pinnacle of martial cultivation. Yet even then, resistance is impossible.”
He exhaled slowly before continuing.
“As for attaining such a level… I once suspected that Bind was a natural transformation, the result of reaching a certain height in cultivation. But later, I realized that was not the case.” Hong Mingzi’s eyes narrowed, his voice lowering.
“Whether it’s its toxic nature or its defensive capabilities, the power of Bind is like an eggshell—an absolute layer that envelops these undying beings. Unless one can pierce through that shell, one cannot even scratch them, let alone damage their indestructible bodies.”
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